We wanted to share an update with our staff and community regarding the LEAPS Afterschool Grant application.

Overton County Schools submitted a strong application for this highly competitive state grant. We are proud of the work that went into the proposal and are pleased that our application scored very well during the review process. Unfortunately, we narrowly missed the funding cutoff.

After reviewing our score of 90 from the reviewers, we inquired as to why our final score was reduced to 65. We then learned that deductions were applied based on prior grant performance measures related to participation, expenditure of funds, and student outcome targets from a previous LEAPS grant. Because participation at the middle school level was lower than anticipated, we did not need to utilize the full grant budget. Since personnel costs make up the largest portion of LEAPS funding, lower student participation naturally resulted in fewer staffing hours being needed and, therefore, unspent grant funds.

It is important to note that our previous LEAPS program served only students at the middle school level (grades 5–8). Like many districts, we experienced challenges maintaining consistent participation among students in this age group. Recognizing this challenge, we requested last year to move the LEAPS program to an elementary school where after-school participation has historically been stronger. That request was not approved, so the program continued serving students at the middle school level.

For this year’s application, we developed a different approach and intentionally designed the proposed program around schools and grade levels where we believe participation and impact would be greater. The middle school level was not included in this application. However, the scoring process also considered prior grant performance measures associated with the previous LEAPS program.

While we are disappointed with the outcome, we remain proud of the quality of our application and appreciative of everyone who contributed to the planning process. We have requested additional feedback from the Tennessee Department of Education, including our scoring details, and have inquired about any appeal process or opportunities should additional funding become available.

Our commitment to providing high-quality learning opportunities beyond the school day has not changed. We will continue pursuing every available funding opportunity, including future state and federal grants, to expand services for our students and families.

Thank you for your continued support of Overton County Schools and our students.