Manchester City Schools applied for renewal of the 21st Century Community Learning Center grant on April 14, 2022. The Request for Proposal was made by input from an advisory board comprised of students, parents, community leaders, and school personnel.
Each application was read and scored by three reviewers. The peer review team provided each application with a technical merit score based upon the review criteria and rubric. The technical merit score served as the foundation for determining which applications to fund and at what level. Applications that received an average score of 69 or higher were considered for funding. Approximately $10.4 million was available to award for 21st CCLC. The applications with a score of 69 or more requested approximately $15.6 million in funding. Hence, it was not possible to award applicants 100% of the requested amount.
Manchester City Schools received a technical merit score of 99.7, and the Tennessee Department of Education made an award to Manchester City Schools in the amount of $322,448.00 each year beginning in 2022-23. The award will continue for 5 years.
With this award, Manchester City School’s will offer academic, remedial, and enrichment services for up to 248 students at Westwood Middle School. This afterschool learning opportunity will provide a safe environment for children who have working parents and can’t be at home afterschool. The program, Afterschool Journey, will operate each regular day of school from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 3:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Fridays. Additional time will also include 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday. There will be no cost for families.
Performance goals set forth by the Tennessee Department of Education and Office of Extended Learning and Afterschool include improvement in Reading and Language Arts and Math, addressing chronic absenteeism, increasing family engagement, and help address social and mental health challenges of students and families. Many great organizations have partnered with Afterschool Journey to provide enriching activities that address the aforementioned performance goals and some “just plain fun” things to do. Our partners are: University of Tennessee Agriculture Extension 4-H, Coffee County Central High Future Farmers of America, University of the South Sewanee, University of Tennessee Space Institute, Hope Petty-Homeschool Theater Enrichment Program, Old Stone Fort, Coffee County Central High School Dance team, and the Manchester Chamber of Commerce. Others will be added as the year progresses.
For questions or more information, contact Jimmy St. John, Manchester City Schools Afterschool Journey Program Director at jstjohn@k12mcs.net or at 931-728-3412 extension 2434.
