September | 2023
Dear Friends,
Happy September! I feel as though Fall is finally here, even with temperatures over 100 degrees on the West side of the state. Despite the heat, the days are getting shorter and I know a cool down is imminent. I am reminded that there is a season for everything under the sun... a time to plant and a time to harvest (according to the Bible & the Beatles!).

Friends, for many, many months I have shared my goals for leftover EANS funds and lots of other little projects that I've been working on. The work you do is so inspiring! It motivates me to get out there and advocate for you and your students. You are such an easy sell! You do so much to support the students and families in your community. I know sometimes it seems like we talk about things for a LONG time, but boy are we seeing the harvest of the seeds we've been planting!

I am so very excited to share with you that the guidance for the remaining EANS funds is out and it is VERY good news! ALL PRIVATE SCHOOLS will be allowed to participate in this next round of EANS funds. I can't tell you how amazing this is. If you are a school that participated in Round 2 of PPP loans and have not participated in EANS - this is your chance! If you are a school that participated in Round 1 of EANS but was not eligible for Round 2 - this is your chance. Read below for more details!

School Safety Grant Applications are due September 8th. I hope that all of you are planning to apply for this funding! You know my motto - No Dollar Left Behind! See below for more information about this STATE funding opportunity.

I will be hosting THREE Zoom meetings this month. The originally planned Zoom for Special Education will still be held on September 19th at 1p. I hope you will plan to attend because there are some changes in how we track students and I'd like to make sure that we are all on the same page. These changes will ensure that we are generating all of the funds available for special education services for our students. I will also be hosting two Zooms to discuss the EANS funding. Tomorrow (Wednesday) @ 11am I will discuss EANS and School Safety Grants. This will be especially helpful to those of you who have not participated in EANS or who do not have your economic deprivation numbers. I will host another EANS Zoom on September 12th at 9am.

When I am in Jefferson City advocating on your behalf, there are many people supporting the effort. I want to take a quick minute and thank the MoCAPE Board - your leaders - for their engagement and commitment to our shared mission. I'd also like to thank the team at the Missouri Catholic Conference for their partnership and help connecting us with the right people for all of our asks. Of course, these efforts are also enhanced by our Sponsors - so be sure to connect with them, they are ready to support your school!

Thank you always for all that you do for your students and communities! This is a busy time of year and now there are several additional things that may be added to your plate. Please plan to join us on the Zoom calls and feel free to reach out if you have additional questions or need our support!

Happy Fall Y'all,
Nicolette Gibson
Executive Director
816.651.6515
Monthly Zoom Webinars
September 6th - 11am
NEW EANS funds & School Safety Grants

September 12th - 9am
NEW EANS Funds

September 19th @ 1p
Special Education


Mark your calendar:
October 19th @ 1p
Federal Programs
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Click below to watch the recorded version:
NEW EANS Funds Information

Our friends at DESE have released the guidance for the New EANS funding. They are calling it EANS IIa. These are funds that were unspent during EANS II. The funds reverted to the Governor to use however he wanted. Through extensive advocacy efforts, we were assured by the Governor's team that all funds would be redirected to Private Schools. This was a huge win, in some states unspent funds have gone to other programs in the state.

We asked the Governor and DESE to open these funds to schools that could not participate in previous EANS programs because they had participated in PPP 2 loans. This exclusion has kept many schools who serve families from low income communities from getting much needed supplies for their schools. We were successful in our advocacy efforts and the remaining funds will be available to ALL PRIVATE SCHOOLS in the state.

Any school that wishes to participate will get a base amount of $10,000. An additional amount will be allocated for each low income student. The amount will be determined once the state knows how many schools will participate. My hope is that ALL schools who have not yet received EANS funds will participate. These funds can help you in several ways! If there are schools who received Round 1 EANS but not Round 2 and have additional needs, you should also apply.

The funds can be used in a variety of ways to support your students and address learning loss:
  • professional development for teachers and paraprofessionals to address learning loss,
  • redeveloping instructional plans, including curriculum development to address learning loss,
  • purchasing evidence based instructional materials
  • initiating and maintaining education and support services or assistance to address learning loss
  • providing mental health services and support


Also, join us on one of our Zoom calls this month - September 6th @ 11a or September 12th @ 9am.

Important Safety Grant Information

The state of Missouri has recently expanded the funding available to support school safety improvements in local education agencies (LEAs) and nonpublic schools across the state. This $50 million grant fund will be distributed through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE’s) competitive School Safety Reimbursement Grant Program. The grant program supports school safety programs, such as physical security upgrades and associated technology (e.g., door locks, monitoring systems), bleeding control kits, epinephrine auto-injectors, and automatic external defibrillators.
 
The grant applications are now open, with separate applications for LEAs and nonpublic schools. Completed applications are due on September 8, 2023. Award notifications will be made on or about September 29, 2023. The School Safety Grant program guidance document provides detailed information about the purpose of the grant program, potential award amounts, allowable uses of funds, application processes, reimbursement documentation, and post-award information. Additional information and links to the applications are available on DESE’s website.
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