NEW YORK – U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced June 4 the award of $24 million in grants to 92 school districts in 34 states to help them enhance and fortify their readiness and emergency management plans.
“Nothing is more important to Americans than the safety of their children,” Spellings said. “These grants will support that effort by helping more school districts strengthen their crisis planning and better coordinate with the entire community to ensure the safety of our schools and students.”
The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) discretionary grant program provides funds for local education agencies (LEAs or school districts) to improve and strengthen their emergency management plans. For a school district to qualify for a grant, its improved plan must address all four phases of emergency management: Prevention-Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery. Plans also must commit school districts to coordinate with officials in law enforcement, local government, public safety, public health and mental health; train school officials in emergency management; and provide a method for communicating emergency and reunification procedures to parents and guardians. Measures also should support the implementation of the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which works to prevent the outbreak of infectious disease and should take into consideration districts’ special needs populations.
Funds may be used to coordinate with local emergency responders, including fire, police, and health and public health agencies; conduct drills and exercises; purchase emergency supplies and equipment; and to train staff and students on emergency response procedures.
The grants are housed within the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, which supports efforts to create safe schools, respond to crises, prevent drug and alcohol abuse, ensure the health and well being of students, and teach students good citizenship and character. The office also coordinates the Department’s efforts in these areas with other federal agencies.
As part of the No Child Left Behind Act, local school districts must provide assurances that they have plans that outline how they are working to keep their schools safe and drug free.
A complete list of the 92 grant awards follows:
- Alabama
DeKalb County School District
Rainsville, Ala.
Charles Warren, project director
$92,520
Franklin County Board of Education
Russellville, Ala.
Susan Hargett, project director
$99,347
Arizona
Crane Elementary School District
Yuma, Ariz.
Christopher Weigel, project director
$128,255
Flagstaff Unified School District
Flagstaff, Ariz.
Bob Kuhn, project director
$397,957
Yuma Union High School District
Yuma, Ariz.
Tim Vlasak, project director
$197,499
Red Mesa Unified School District
Teec Nos Pos, Ariz.
Michael Hughes, project director
$99,000
California
San Diego Unified School District
San Diego
Don Braun, project director
$484,210
Garden Grove Unified School District
Garden Grove, Calif.
Sue McCann, project director
$925,409
Triumph Charter Academy
San Fernando, Calif.
Sharon Mamane, project director
$266,462
Grossmont Union High School District
El Cajon, Calif.
Jodi Sevilla, project director
$496,297
Coachella Valley Unified School District
Thermal, Calif.
Duke Tanuvasa, project director
$236,135
William S. Hart Union High School District
Santa Clarita, Calif.
Robert Weber, project director
$152,625
Castro Valley Unified School District
Castro Valley, Calif.
Richard Schneck, project director
$99,984
Palm Springs Unified School District
Palm Springs, Calif.
Roy Hill, project director
$158,770
Stanislaus County Office of Education
Modesto, Calif.
Vicki Bauman, project director
$401,626
Nevada Joint Union High School District
Grass Valley, Calif.
Cindy Gordon, project director
$240,820
Oakland Unity High School
Oakland, Calif.
Sau-Lim Tsang, project director
$243,064
Fullerton School District
Fullerton, Calif.
Kathryn Ikola, project director
$249,997
San Francisco Unified School District
San Francisco
David Goldin, project director
$544,205
Napa County Office of Education
Napa, Calif.
Terry Longoria, project director
$493,097
North Sacramento Area School District
Sacramento, Calif.
Matlock Heyman, project director
$367,546
Baldwin Park Unified School District
Baldwin Park, Calif.
Stephen Bayne, project director
$298,082
Colorado
Durango School District
Durango, Colo.
Kathleen Morris, project director
$100,001
Connecticut
New Fairfield Public Schools
New Fairfield, Conn.
John Boccuzzi, project director
$90,250
District of Columbia
District of Columbia Public Schools
Washington
Brian Killian, project director
$791,545
Georgia
Rockdale County Board of Education
Conyers, Ga.
Garret Brundage, project director
$229,277
Hawaii
Hawaii Department of Education
Honolulu, Hawaii
Mark Behrens, project director
$747,978
Idaho
Madison School District
Rexburg, Idaho
Randy Lords, project director
$99,463
Kamiah Joint School District
Kamiah, Idaho
Vickie Jackson, project director
$196,956
Illinois
Decatur Public School District
Decatur, Ill.
Michael Sotiroff, project director
$199,660
Benton Consolidated High School District
Benton, Ill.
Marla Harp, project director
$109,461
Crete-Monee Community Unit School District
Crete, Ill.
George Elrod, project director
$205,502
Alton Community Unite School District
Alton, Ill.
Kristie Baumgartner, project director
$243,503
St. Clair County Education Coop. Bd.
Belleville, Ill.
Rosella Wamser, project director
$487,640
Aurora Public Schools
Aurora, Ill.
Brooke Young, project director
$248,515
Indiana
Metro School District of Warren Township
Indianapolis, Ind.
Mark Harsley, project director
$224,351
South Montgomery Community School Corporation
New Market, Ind.
Michael Sowers, project director
$97,704
Herron High School
Indianapolis, Ind.
Janet McNeal, project director
$96,418
Iowa
Cedar Falls Community School District
Cedar Falls, Iowa
Sue Gettman, project director
$232,550
Des Moines Independent School District
Des Moines, Iowa
Greg Davis, project director
$471,428
Maple Valley Community Schools
Mapleton, Iowa
Patricia Ryan, project director
$137,070
Kentucky
Oldham County Board of Education
Buckner, Ky.
Michael Williams, project director
$256,226
Bourbon County Schools
Paris, Ky.
Tom Mills, project director
$99,527
Laurel County Public School District
London, Ky.
Duff Holcomb, project director
$219,786
Louisiana
Algiers Charter School Association
New Orleans, La.
Alan Delery, project director
$282,473
Maine
Portland Public School District
Portland, Maine
R. Scott Wyman, project director
$266,270
Maryland
Board of Education of Frederick County
Frederick, Md.
Clifton Cornwell, project director
$212,471
Massachusetts
Somerville Public Schools
Somerville, Mass.
Frank DiChiappari, project director
$100,000
Quabbin Regional School District
Barre, Mass.
Lynne Shaw, project director
$135,095
New Bedford Public Schools
New Bedford, Mass.
Andrew O’Leary, project director
$220,382
Michigan
Saginaw Intermediate School District
Saginaw, Mich.
Thomas Mysnberge, project director
$410,275
Bloomfield Hills School District
Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Brian Goby, project director
$243,971
Grand Rapids Public Schools
Grand Rapids, Mich.
Larry Johnson, project director
$494,123
Mississippi
Noxubee County School District
Macon, Miss.
Evelyn Murray, project director
$221,339
Montgomery County School District
Winona, Miss.
Michael Hood, project director
$99,400
Missouri
Kennett #39 School District
Kennett, Mo.
Deborah Cook, project director
$125,984
New Jersey
Bergen County Technical Schools
Paramus, N.J.
Joshua Wayne, project director
$214,801
Lakewood Public School District
Lakewood, N.J.
Agnes Jennings, project director
$228,950
West New York Board of Education
West New York, N.J.
John Fauta, project director
$100,000
Kinnelon Public School District
Kinnelon, N.J.
Matthew Scanlon, project director
$99,603
Egg Harbor Regional High School District
Mays Landing, N.J.
Margaret Doran, project director
$89,491
New Mexico
Santa Fe Public Schools
Santa Fe, N.M.
Doug Conwell, project director
$248,355
Gadsden Independent School District
Anthony, N.M.
Joe Mendez, project director
$168,183
New York
Hampton Bays Union Free School District
Hampton Bays, N.Y.
Donna Moss, project director
$100,000
Syracuse City School District
Syracuse, N.Y.
Michael Puntschenko, project director
$250,000
Renaissance Charter School
Jackson Heights, N.Y.
Stacie Gauthier, project director
$261,823
Copiague Union Free School District
Copiague, N.Y.
Charles Leunig, project director
$99,016
North Carolina
Burke County Public Schools
Morganton, N.C.
Tina Brookes, project director
$244,843
Orange County Schools
Hillsborough, N.C.
Frank Meadows, project director
$282,782
Ohio
Bloom Carroll School District
Carroll, Ohio
Eric Landversicht, project director
$98,803
South-Western City Schools
Grove City, Ohio
Harvey Nesser, project director
$247,980
Canton City Schools
Canton, Ohio
James Irvin, project director
$247,602
Dayton Public Schools
Dayton, Ohio
Andre Roldan, project director
$493,034
Pennsylvania
Allentown School District
Allentown, Pa.
Gretchen Saul, project director
$232,760
Wyomissing School District
Wyomissing, Pa.
Pamela Pulkowski, project director
$92,397
South Carolina
Williamsburg County School District
Kingstree, S.C.
Boykin Parson, project director
$98,055
Anderson Five School District
Anderson, S.C.
William Dukes, project director
$209,222
Laurens County School District
Clinton, S.C.
David Pitts, project director
$99,759
York School District One
York, S.C.
Lisa Spangler, project director
$109,246
Tennessee
Memphis City Schools
Memphis, Tenn.
Linda Delaney, project director
$491,308
Texas
ESC Region 2
Corpus Christi, Texas
Randy Purdy, project director
$644,290
Region 5 ESD
Beaumont, Texas
Sherrie Thomas, project director
$247,708
Utah
Cache County School District
North Logan, Utah
Stacie Stewart, project director
$248,710
Virginia
Loudoun County Public Schools
Ashburn, Va.
Robert Burke, project director
$699,419
Chesterfield County Public Schools
Chesterfield, Va.
Timothy Mallory, project director
$326,957
Dinwiddie County Public Schools
Dinwiddie, Va.
Marie Grant, project director
$95,880
Russell County Public Schools
Lebanon, Va.
Lorraine Turner, project director
$178,679
Roanoke City Public Schools
Roanoke, Va.
Mac Westland, project director
$630,561
Washington
Seattle Public Schools
Seattle, Wash.
Pegi McEvoy, project director
$503,797
North Central ESD
Wenatchee, Wash.
Mike Lynch, project director
$138,585
West Virginia
Jefferson County Board of Education
Charles Town, W. Va
Sherri Hoff, project director
$157,900
Wisconsin
School District of Janesville
Janesville, Wis.
Karen Schulte, project director
$250,000
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DOE June 4, 2008 press release
