NEWS RELEASES 2007-08

DROPOUT PREVENTION GRANTS COMMITTEE
SCHEDULES FIRST MEETING

The North Carolina General Assembly has convened the Dropout Prevention Grants Committee to distribute funds appropriated during its 2007 session to address the state's dropout rate.

School districts, schools, local agencies and nonprofit organizations can apply for the dropout prevention grants, which are to be used for innovative programs and initiatives that target students at risk of dropping out of school and that demonstrate the potential to:

• be developed into effective, sustainable and coordinated dropout prevention and re-entry programs in middle and high schools; and
• serve as effective models for other programs.

Programs and initiatives that receive grants shall be based on best practices for preventing students from dropping out of school or for increasing the high school completion rate for those students who already have dropped out of school. Priority will be given to new programs and initiatives or those that have begun within the last five school years.

Grant awards will vary up to a maximum of $150,000. Grant applications will be available on Nov. 8. Grant recipients should be selected by the end of the year.

The Committee has scheduled its first meeting for Tuesday, Nov. 6, from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., in the 7th Floor Board Room, Education Building, 301 N. Wilmington Street, Raleigh. At this meeting, Committee members will begin discussing the selection process to be used to award dropout prevention grants.

For those who cannot attend, the meeting is being audio streamed. (To listen in, please go online to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/sbe_meetings/07sbemedia.html and click on the appropriate audio stream link.)

In addition, a Dropout Prevention Grants technical meeting will be held on Thursday, Nov. 8, in Auditorium II, Koury Convention Center, Greensboro. Registration is at 8:30 a.m. followed by the meeting from 9 a.m. - noon. Attendees will receive an overview of the grant application and selection process and have any questions answered.

Serving on this committee are:

• Patsy Ray, Co-chair, Hope Mills Middle School, Hope Mills
• Dr. David Strahan, Co-chair, Western Carolina University, College of Education and Allied Professions
• Harriette Davis, JD Clement Early College High School, Durham
• Lisa Daye, McDowell High School, Marion
• Arnold Dennis, North Carolina Central University, Juvenile Justice Institute
• Angella Dunston, NC Justice Center, Raleigh
• Margaret A. Ellis, Henderson
• Bill Farmer, Time Warner Cable, Charlotte
• Patrice High, Roanoke Rapids
• Virginia Hoover, Madison
• Dr. Zoe Locklear, UNC-Pembroke, School of Education
• Cynthia Marshall, AT & T North Carolina, Charlotte
• Dr. Shirley Prince, Scotland County Schools
• Peggy Vick, Fayetteville
• Bennie Walker, Winston-Salem

For more information, please contact NCDPI's Communications division at 919.807.3450.