Othello School District officials announced that they have successfully pursued a federal 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant that will fund three community learning sites and related programs for elementary and middle school students, district staff said. "The grant will bring 2 and a half million dollars to Othello over the next 5 years," said Dr. Josh Meek, who led the district's application effort.

District officials said the grant will fund before- and after-school programs, summer offerings and transportation that together aim to provide structured enrichment and academic support for students in grades 3 through 8. "It supports community layer learning centers in districts," Meek told the board, describing the federal program known formally as the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers program.

Why it matters: the funding is earmarked for ongoing, staffed programming across three district sites rather than one-off activities, officials said. The district presented an enrollment and site plan intended to extend services across its elementary and middle schools and to use partners for specialized content.

District staff described the three proposed grant sites as: a Hiawatha site that will serve Hiawatha and Lutaka students; a Scootenay site serving Scootenay and Wahida students; and a McFarland site that will include middle-school programming. Meek said the district designed the application so the three sites could collectively serve students from all elementary and middle schools rather than limiting services to a single campus.

Meek said each elementary site has a target enrollment of about 60 students, and the middle-school site has a target of about 80 students. "Each of the elementary sites, the target goal is about 60 students and the middle school is 80," he told the board. He said the after-school sessions are planned for roughly 90 minutes to two hours daily, will include transportation and snacks, and the summer component will be an intensive roughly four-week program with hands-on activities.

The district identified CBHA as a community partner that will provide content and resources for after-hours activities, including health-related demonstrations. Meek said program staffing will combine hourly after-school employees with teacher involvement to align after-school activities with classroom learning.

Next steps and timing: district staff said they received grant notification and are preparing to begin the program in January 2026, contingent on internal staffing decisions, outreach and enrollment. Meek said the program requires priority enrollment criteria based on community demographics and student need, and the district will adapt regional models for how to prioritize limited slots.

No formal board action was recorded on the grant at the meeting; Meek presented the award and described implementation planning. Board members asked clarifying questions about enrollment, prioritization and summer program design during the presentation.