Othello schools could receive six-figure grant

District anticipates answer Friday

OTHELLO - The Othello School District is in the final running for a grant worth a minimum of $600,000, Assistant Superintendent Mike Villarreal announced Monday.

Villarreal said at a school board meeting the federally funded grant would be worth a minimum of $200,000 yearly and a maximum $1 million yearly for three years.

Staff expressed optimism the grant would be awarded to them and anticipated they would receive official news by Friday.

Villarreal said the grant is focused on five areas: effective leadership, effective classroom instruction, data analysis, formative analysis, and school and district reviews.

District Superintendent George Juarez said he understands 21 school districts in Washington were invited to apply for the grant. Lint submitted a letter of application, and the district received a reply back. The district was just one of four selected to interview with several representatives of the state Superintendent's Office. The district had about a week to prepare, he said.

"I think all of us that were in the car (after the interview) … instantly we could see the power of this," Juarez said.

Lint said she was involved with the design team of the project, but her involvement had nothing to do with the school district's success in the application process.

She noted after the meeting there was strict selection criteria, and she was not part of the selection team.

"It was clear to me by the end of the interview, we were very likely to be part of this project," Lint said at the meeting.

Board member Rob Simmons said when he first heard about the grant, he thought, "'Wow. That would be incredible to have those resources available.' Now, it's (almost) a reality."