In the field of government programs, the Teach NYS “government maximization” team often dream of ways that we would improve programs if we were in charge of their administration. Sitting on City and State advisory boards has been a valuable way to contribute to program improvements, and we’re always producing ideas and sharing them with government administrators whenever the opportunity presents itself. We are excited to highlight some interesting and exciting developments that have occurred in the recent past that we believe are noteworthy and bode well for the future.
New York City DOE Webinars
Featured in this issue are webinars around the Title programs processes including the Title I Educational Survey, Workplan Submissions in the Title Programs and NYS Loan Programs and more. These webinars are significant because for many years, we have noticed that school officials lack clarity about some of the basic components of eligibility and implementation. We strongly encourage you to attend these webinars and learn the content. It’s always better to have a full picture directly from the DOE than to ask around and get a piecemeal understanding.
New York State Security Communities Against Hate Crimes Grant
This year marks the first year in which the NYS Department of Criminal Justice Services released their annual request for proposals as one large $200K request. This is significant because in the past, when an organization received a grant, they received individual grants for $50K for up to 4 awards (including cyber security). This meant that they needed to execute up to 4 contracts and fill out 4 sets off quarterly reports and 4 sets of reimbursement paperwork in the implementation of the grant. With the $200K, single grant formula, the implementation process will be easier for organizations and much cleaner for DCJS. Stay tuned for more on this!
New York State Education Department Nonpublic School Security Equipment Grant
Although already featured in its own article, the NPSE grant being moved to the business portal is worth another mention. With the allocations ballooning to $45 million this year and the allowable expenses expanding to include capital repairs and renovations, NYSED is going to need to be able to process applications much more quickly than they previously had. There are going to be many more applications worth more money this year and in years to come (see the $70m won in this year’s budget!). Moving the applications to the business portal is a much needed step in trying to streamline the application process and get these vital dollars into the hands of nonpublic schools quickly. We’re ready!
It’s easy to get used to programs running a certain way and never changing, but we see from the developments this winter and spring that things can change and improve. Let’s stay up to date with these changes and ensure that we take advantage of every service and dollar that is out there.