In February,
the Spotsylvania County Public School system learned that its Charting My Path
for Future Success grant had been abruptly cancelled. This U.S. Department of
Education-funded grant supported students with disabilities as they
transitioned from high school to college or work. A total of 91 students and
five teachers were affected.
Now, the district has again been affected by yet another
abrupt federal DOE decision to cancel another grant — Grow Your Own. This grant
supports individuals working in the Spotsylvania school system who are studying
to secure certification as special education teachers focusing on autism, a
high-needs area.
Spotsylvania’s grant was for $95,000 and was managed by the
Virginia Department of Education. Currently, the district has spent $15,268 of
the grant, with $23,066 of the grant “encumbered,” or set aside to be spent in
FY 2025. The spend-down date on the grant was September 30, 2026.
The school division was not informed of the termination by
the U.S. Department of Education; rather, it learned when it went to the
state’s reimbursement website — SSWS — to draw down funds and discovered that
the grant was no longer displayed.
There are currently about five people seeking certification
through the program. They are taking classes at the University of Mary
Washington. As the division did when the Charting My Path for Future Success
grant was shut down, it will work to find a way to continue supporting these
teachers in 2025.
“Our goal,” Superintendent Clint Mitchell told the Advance,
is “to continue to find funds to support [these] teachers until summer classes
are over.”
A person in the finance department tells the Advance that
the division will work to try and secure funds for FY 2026 in order to support
those affected by the federal government’s failure to honor its obligation.
