Special Education Listserv

Subject: Grant Opportunity/Special Education Cooperative Start-Up Money

Source: Debbie Gerlette, Supervisor, Funds Management

Intended Audience: Directors of Special Education, Superintendents, Financial Administrators

Date: June 17, 2008

The Division of Special Education has funding available to assist districts in forming NEW special education cooperatives.  These funds will be awarded over a three year period to allow for start-up.  In the first year, districts may receive $30,000 for initial planning and implementation activities in order to have a fully operational cooperative in place by the 2009-2010 school year.  Years two and three will be funded at $60,000 per year based on the cooperative's implementation of their approved operational plan.  The operational plan must include a procedure for sustaining the cooperative once the grant funding is expended.

Please keep in mind that special education cooperatives can form for the purpose of serving low incidence populations (Blind, Deaf, Autism) or areas of high need where there is difficultly finding providers (e.g. speech language pathologists).

Complete details about this opportunity are available on the Division's website under Funds Management at:

http://www.dese.mo.gov/divspeced/Finance/Cooperative.html.

We have offered this grant opportunity for the last few years and have had numerous school districts pool their resources using a special education cooperative.  We look forward to working with additional districts interested in this opportunity.  Please contact us with questions or if you need further clarification at 573-751-0622.