GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — A south-central Nebraska school district has been awarded a $6 million federal grant to help students prepare for postsecondary education.
Grand Island Public Schools announced Monday that the district received the seven-year GEAR UP matching grant. The acronym stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs.
The district’s in-kind contributions and partner matches bring the grant’s total impact to more than $13.6 million.
The district’s chief transformation officer, Josh McDowell, says it’s the first GEAR UP grant awarded to a district in Nebraska. He says the grant allows the district to introduce students and families to college readiness as early as middle school.
Superintendent Tawana Grover says the grant will help the district to “create a pipeline of success.”