Page 28 - 2024 April report

GRANT PROGRAM COMMITTEE MINUTES (6)
continue to expand the program’s reach. Michael offered to go back to his team and provide JSF with
more specific goals. Michael and Nell then left the meeting.
During the discussion, there was a sense of disappointment in the lack of specifics in the written goals but agreement that the organization is moving in the right direction and that the tVisit program is a good investment. While the tVisit program is successful, it remains a loss leader for Clarke because governments don’t value the birth to age 3 age range enough to reimburse services at an adequate level. A recommendation was made to increase the size and length of the grant on the condition that Nell drafts new, measurable goals.
The Committee voted unanimously, with Bill abstaining, to approve a grant to Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech for $300,000 over 3 years for the tVisit Teleservices Program. The award is contingent upon Clarke providing to JSF clear, specific goals for each year of the grant.
b. The Bedford School
Bobby introduced Jeff James, Head of School, and Allison Day, Assistant Head of School/Principal, from The Bedford School, a school for students with learning differences. A proposal requesting $80,000 over 2 years for scholarships had been circulated along with the following materials: a report from a Zoom meeting on November 28, 2023; a report from a February 1, 2024 site visit to the school; and a JSF summary of applicant financial information.
Jeff has been at Bedford for 39 years, and Allison is in her 30th year at the school. Jeff explained the school exists to help students build on their strengths in a highly structured, almost military-style environment. The school sits on 46 acres in Fairburn, Georgia, and offers several extracurricular activities to help the students build character and self-esteem. Founded in 1985, the school currently has 159 students in grades 1-9 and 36 staff members. In addition to small classes and personalized learning, the school groups together students with similar skills. Bedford uses 2 multi- sensory approaches to learning, Specialized Program Inspiring Reading and Excellence (SPIRE) and NeuroNet. Cursive handwriting is taught as a way to create more neural pathways in the brain. Both English and math are taught twice a day. Most students arrive at Bedford around 3rd grade and stay for a few years before transitioning back to mainstream institutions. It is recommended that they stay through middle school if their families can afford it. Efforts are made to track the students after they leave Bedford. Many students later need accommodations, but almost all go on to complete high school.
Jeff and Allison were asked whether parents come to the school before there is a diagnosis of their child’s learning disability. Jeff said students in public school must be significantly behind their classmates before they are diagnosed. Often private screening is recommended, but Bedford also can look at public school testing and Individual Education Plans (IEPs) to determine if a student meets the admission criteria. Some students learn of the school through the summer program hosted by Bedford.
Students with IEPs are able to receive state funds. The average scholarship award is $5,000. All families, regardless of income, bear some level of financial responsibility. The school uses scholarships to limit the cost to ten percent of a family’s income, thus allowing children from low income families to attend. The school is debt free and has some funds in reserve. Jeff and Allison were asked whether the reserve funds can be used for scholarships. Jeff said the reserve funds are only for emergencies, and fundraising supports the scholarships. Another question was about the school’s academic benchmarks. Allison said they do map students’ growth, and the objective is to get the students on grade level.
Allison and Jeff were invited to stay for lunch, and afterward they left the meeting. There was discussion about whether the goals needed clarification, like Clarke’s. There are also concerns about access to diagnostic testing, which is a known barrier, and about the length and size of the grant.
Page 26 April Report