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Federal grant eyed to bolster Early Head start and other improvements
The Public School System is eyeing a loan of $3 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to build six elementary school and kindergarten classrooms, four Early Head Start centers, and to pave elementary school parking lots on Rota and Tinian.
The proposed Rural Development program grant has a term of 10 years, interest at 3.75 percent, and annual payment of $399,840.
The Board of Education approved yesterday a preliminary application for the grant, but would also need an amendment to the fiscal year 2015 PSS budget to move forward with the project.
The board will propose this amendment to the Legislature. It would allow PSS to use a portion of their annual appropriation to pay $30,018 per month for the grant.
Federal program officer Timothy Thornburg told Saipan Tribune that the amendment would continue appropriations that would repay the loan across time.
He clarified that the amendment does not ask for new money but would use funds already within the PSS budget.
At their board meeting yesterday, he said USDA found they were “fully capable” for the grant after looking at their finances.
USDA area director Joseph Diego visited the board last week. According to Thornburg, Diego was “very supportive. “He really wants to work with us to do it,” he said.
According to Thornburg, there is no application deadline for this loan, but that PSS would like “get it in as fast as possible.”
The loan, if received, would provide an additional revenue stream to support the bolstering of the PSS Early Head Start program, which recently received some $1.2 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families.
This Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership grant was first reported to be an annual $940,000 for PSS, but has since jumped, according to Thornburg, as supplemental “start up” money was granted as well.
The four new Early Head start centers will be built adjacent to existing PSS Head Start centers, and serve 80 infants and toddlers.
