“In an effort to provide taxpayer relief without sacrificing those experiences so vital to the education of our next generation, the Ulster BOCES Grant Coordination Cooperative Service (Co-Ser) helps to secure funding for programs that, in many cases, could not exist otherwise,” says Bonita (Bonnie) Meadow, grant coordinator for Ulster BOCES. In fact, Bonnie notes that for the fiscal year ending in June 2009, her office secured more than $8.7 million in grant funding to benefit students of all ages at Ulster BOCES and its local component school districts. “This source for alternative financial support often provides for needed programs without impacting local school budgets,” she observes.

 

The Ulster BOCES Grant Co-Ser has been able to tap numerous supplemental funding sources, benefiting many members of our community, from students, to teachers, to administrators, to adults in the workforce.

 

In addition to the obvious financial advantage provided by the revenue to support educational initiatives that Bonnie helps secure, the benefits of participation in the Grants Co-Ser go even deeper. As with all BOCES services, the cost for participation is shared among all member districts, making it an extremely cost-effective option for obtaining quality services. This translates into big savings, as all of the service’s operational expenses (like salary, supplies, computer equipment, and more), are split by all participants. “This also means that duplication of services in the various school districts is minimized, creating tremendous efficiency and overarching savings for taxpayers throughout Ulster County,” adds Dr. Laurie Cassel, Deputy Superintendent at Ulster BOCES. In fact, some grants secured by Ulster BOCES also support regional and statewide efforts, extending the savings even further.

It is not just a cost savings either. “With Bonnie, we are benefitting from the expertise of a seasoned professional who has her pulse on available grants and is able to focus exclusively on the process,” says Dr. Kathleen O’Brien, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction at the Onteora Central School District.

  

While grant funding has always been important, in these times of reduced financial support to education from both the State and the Federal governments, it has become imperative to stay abreast of grant trends, to seek new sources of funding, and to supplement conventional resources. In her role as grant coordinator, Bonnie works closely with the many diverse departments at Ulster BOCES, as well as those component districts that elect to participate in the Grants Co-Ser. She provides them with information about upcoming grant opportunities, and also researches the feasibility of, or obstacles to, applying for the subject grants.

 

The programs made possible by funding secured through the Grants Co-Ser have a wide-ranging impact, from the arts, to school safety, to teacher training, to enhanced General Educational Development (GED) programs, to workforce development, as well as many other initiatives to benefit students and the community. Grants can be large enough to provide for replacement school buses or small enough to accommodate a specific school trip. As Bonnie notes, “Even the small grants we are able to win help provide some of those little extras that mean so much to the students and make their programs of study even more meaningful and effective.” 

Last year, for example, a $1,400 grant, secured from the Chapman Fund at the Community Foundation of Dutchess and Ulster Counties, allowed students in the Ulster BOCES Expanded Horizons Program to attend a session with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) in New York City. The NGO section of DESA interfaces between the UN and private organizations at all levels, many of which are addressing such issues as the global food and public health crises and the protection of natural resources and the environment. “This field trip, which aligns with the curriculum, allowed students to experience first-hand the role of NGOs in advancing global understanding of these and other issues of worldwide concern,” notes Bonnie.

This year, with the economic downturn, there are additional important impacts of grant efforts. Available funding would likely target job readiness training for the unemployed, including those who are disadvantaged or workers with disabilities. These grants would fund 

such things as Ulster BOCES Adult Education literacy and GED programs, as well as specific job training, especially in the emerging field of “green” jobs. Workforce development is a necessity for the economic health and stability of our region. As Bonnie explains, “Now, with this economy, the pressure is on, both with the need to get people back to work and to develop grants to supplement waning sources of funding.”

Bonnie is always on the lookout for grant opportunities. She subscribes to several notification services. While some of those subscriptions are free, others are subscription-based, illustrating yet another cost-savings benefit. “It would be very expensive if all our member districts needed to subscribe to and monitor those subscriptions,” observes Bonnie.

 

Bonnie also checks State and Federal websites regularly for available grants. While BOCES has often been awarded such government funding, she is now also engaged in a new direction for grants, as she seeks more and more private foundation and corporate grants. “With State and Federal grant programs also being cut as a result of the economy, this adds impetus to the effort to look at organizations and foundations as sources of additional grant funding,” Bonnie remarks. “But now, everybody is looking for money everywhere, so everything in the grant acquisition arena has become much more competitive.”

Once an Ulster BOCES department or a member district decides to apply for a grant, Bonnie will work with groups or individuals to organize the proposal, write the narrative, create the budget, complete requisite forms, and acquire letters of support or commitment. She also makes sure that the proposal goes through the approval process and is submitted on time, whether through hard copy or electronically. Bonnie notes that her involvement can vary widely based on a District’s level of participation in the Co-Ser. “With some of the district grants, I will just provide the information and the district will file the application. With other, more complicated grants, I will handle the entire process. And some grants will benefit specific districts, while others can provide benefit to all member districts.” For example, Bonnie is currently working on a Records Management grant for Ulster BOCES, which will benefit all component districts in the long run by streamlining the records management process and making it more efficient for all.

 

“The Grants Co-Ser is just one of the hundreds of cost-effective, results-proven services provided by Ulster BOCES and exemplifies the benefits of countywide collaboration,” attests Dr. Cassel. “Participation in a service like this literally pays for itself.”

Ulster BOCES serves the nine component school districts in Ulster County, including Ellenville, Highland, Kingston, New Paltz, Onteora, Rondout Valley, Saugerties, and Wallkill School Districts, as well as West Park Union Free School District.