State extends grant award program deadlines

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK)-The Idaho State Board of Education says nearly 18,500 families and 24,600 children will receive grants to help with their children’s education under the Strong Families, Strong Students (SFSS) program.   Governor Brad Little funded the program with $50 million in federal coronavirus relief money.  

The funding was earmarked to purchase computer hardware and software, internet connectivity, instructional materials, some course fees, tutoring services, therapies, and licensed day-care during working hours.

Families seeking reimbursement for eligible expenses need to file their claim through Class Wallet by January 8, 2021.  The reimbursement deadline was extended to give families more time to gather necessary receipts.

“The response to this program was tremendous and the grants are making a big difference for a lot of struggling families,” State Board of Education President Debbie Critchfield said.  “The SFSS funds were limited, and unfortunately we could not help all who applied.  The Board is working on other initiatives to address this by using coronavirus relief funds to provide mobile devices to students through their schools to help close the “digital divide” between students who have access to technology for remote learning and those who do not.”

The grants were awarded based on economic need and by the time completed applications were filed. They were targeted at families with an adjusted gross income of $50,000 or less.

The board said 39,908 applications were submitted and 26,512 applications were completed.  The state spent $49,998,599 on the program.