Lapel, South Madison schools to receive state grant

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SOUTH MADISON COUNTY — Frankton-Lapel Schools and the South Madison Community School Corp., are among a group receiving portions of a $3.52 million state grant.

As part of the East Central Education Service Center (ECESC), 29 school districts, economic and mental health agencies and universities are receiving the aid to recover learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This grant has the potential to impact nearly 51,000 students across the 14-county region,” said Katie Lash, Executive Director of East Central Educational Service Center (ECESC) through a press release.

The ECESC will facilitate the collaboration.

In addition to school districts, the $3,526,000 two-year grant project includes Fayette County Economic Development, Ball State University, Indiana University East, Ivy Tech, the Bowen Center and seeks future partnerships.

The East Central Educational Service Center, based in Connersville, serves the following counties: Bartholomew, Decatur, Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Henry, Hancock, Johnson, Madison, Randolph, Rush, Shelby, Union and Wayne.

The Student Learning Recovery Grant Program and Fund, created by Indiana House Act 1008, allocates $150 million to accelerate learning partnerships to support students across all grades, with a focus on partnerships between community organizations and schools.

Frankton-Lapel and South Madison schools have also received three grants from the federal government.

Earlier this year, through the American Rescue Plan (ARP), the school systems received over $2 million each. South Madison schools total, in figures released by the Indiana Department of Education, was $2,651,477, while FLCS was awarded $2,131,043.

In initial federal funding allocated in April 2020, from the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and CARES 2.0, Frankton-Lapel received $262,299 (CARES) and an additional $906,177 (CARES 2.0). South Madison received $291,171 from the first package and $1,137,640 from 2.0.