Franklin, Hart County Charter Systems Recipient of Opportunity Grants

Franklin and Hart County Charter School Systems are recipients of a second round of Opportunity Grants to help districts expand options and opportunities for their students.

The first round of Opportunity Grants was awarded in March 2022.

Awarded by the Georgia Department of Education the grants total $1.8 million to support fine arts, health and physical education, and world language, along with summer bridge programs for rural school districts.

A total of 498 schools in Georgia were awarded Opportunity Grants in the second round.

“Georgia is committed to expanding opportunities for students and providing an enriching educational experience in the core content areas and beyond,” State School Superintendent Woods said. “These grants ensure that students across the state have access to educational opportunities that prepare them for life and keep them engaged in school.”

Franklin County High School received a total grant award of $5,586, part of which will go towards the purchase of health and physical education equipment and part will go towards the school’s Fine Arts program.

Hart County Charter School received an Opportunity Grant award in the amount of $54,160.

Of that, Hartwell and North Hart Elementary Schools will receive monies to purchase health and physical education equipment.

All three elementary schools and the middle school received grants to fund their Summer Bridge programs and Hartwell Elementary also received grant monies to help fund their Fine Arts program.

The types of Opportunity Grants awarded include:

• Fine Arts: Awarded to 243 schools, the Fine Arts Consumables and Equipment (FACE) grant provides up to $3,000 per teacher for the acquisition of supplies and equipment needed to teach the required Georgia Standards of Excellence for Fine Arts.
• Health and Physical Education: Awarded to 201 schools, the Health and Physical Education Equipment (HPE) grant provides up to $3,000 per school for the acquisition of equipment needed to support health and physical education instruction.
• World Languages – PARTNER: Awarded to 10 schools, the Providing Access for Rural Teachers for New Equipment and Resources (PARTNER) grant allows world language teachers to implement sustainable world language instructional initiatives and increase access to quality world language education.
• World Languages – Cross-Curriculum Innovation: Awarded to 12 schools, the Cross-Curriculum Innovation (CCI) grant supports innovative connections between world language and other areas of the curriculum.
• Summer Bridge Program: Awarded to 32 schools, this grant provides up to $15,000 per school to implement summer programs with the purpose of accelerating student learning. These grants are targeted to programs serving K-8 students in rural districts.

The Opportunity Grants are made possible through federal stimulus funds under the American Rescue Plan (ARP – ESSER).