PUSD Awarded $100,000 in State Grants

Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) will receive $100,000 in Specialized Secondary Programs grants from the state to assist the district in developing “innovative programs to help high school students learn.”

The state has allotted a total of $3.3 million in grants for 67 California school districts including PUSD, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today.

“This grant has a long history of helping support innovative high school programs that help students develop real-world 21st century skills,” Torlakson said. “Now that these funds are available again, California will carry on its work of developing cutting-edge programs so students can explore areas of study in a deeper way while developing their talents and skills for college or career.”

Funds for the program, which is authorized by the California Education Code, were “flexed” in 2009 during the state budget crisis, meaning the funds could have been used for any general educational purpose instead of just for creating advanced programs. However, flexibility for program expired at the beginning of this month.

Torlakson said the 67 grantees may use the funds for programs that provide high school students with advanced learning opportunities in a variety of subjects, including English-language arts, mathematics, science, history and social science, foreign language and visual performing arts, among other subjects.

The programs may include Linked Learning pathways, career academies and arts-integrated models, Torlakson said. The programs must be rich in content, models for providing instruction based on California’s standards and use varied instructional methods.

Schools may apply for an implementation grant as funding becomes available. The program has funded more than 200 programs since its inception in 1984-85.

For more information on the Specialized Secondary Programs grants, visit http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/profile.asp?id=3465.