Northport Council Approves $300k In Grants For TCSS Schools

Tuscaloosa AL

04 January, 2021

8:51 PM

Description

NORTHPORT, AL — The Northport City Council on Monday approved nearly $300,000 in grant funding for 10 Tuscaloosa County School System schools within the Northport city limits. The money, given out under the Northport First Fund moniker, comes from revenues generated last year by way of the city's 1 cent sales tax. Click here to subscribe to our daily email newsletters and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox and mobile devices for free. You can also support local journalism by donating as little as $5 a month to become a supporting member or by downloading our free Patch mobile app. Northport Development Coordinator Max Snyder pointed out that the grant allocations passed a little over 18 months ago, with the city identifying schools as being a worthwhile investment from the revenue generated after the tax increase passed in 2019. Snyder said the city solicited grant applications this falls from Northport schools for eligible projects that would either enhance equipment, facilities or programs. He then spoke to future plans when asked about the next potential round of applications following the passage of the first installment. "I think the plan is to get those taken care and see how this program goes, if there are any changes that are necessary after this first year and get those out to the schools pretty quickly," Snyder said. Council President Jeff Hogg said the funding underscores the Council's commitment to investing in education, despite naysayers in the community and on social media. "Before anybody says we don't want to help schools, $300,000 is going right back into our kids and our community through our Northport First funds and we are doing the things they would like to see done at their schools," he said. District 3 Councilman John Hinton expressed the desire of the Council to impact student learning through the grant funding, with the onus being on the schools to identify projects and initiatives to improve the overall experience for students. "I think with all these projects, you can see they're all going back to the students in technology," he said. " We're really after education and seeing students improve ... I'm proud for the schools at what they've done, looking carefully at what they needed." Here's a breakdown of the funding by school, with bullet points indicating what the grant money will be spent on: Tuscaloosa County High School - $73,213.21 Multi-process welding machinesBaseball batting cage improvementsSoftball batting cage improvementsMedia production equipment Collins-Riverside Middle School - $34,995.00 Facility upgrades (special needs accommodations, softball field repairs, classroom improvements) Technology (MacBook laptops, EV3 robots) Positive Behavior Program Echols Middle School - $35,000.00 Technology (iPads, cart) Crestmont Elementary - $25,000.00 Voyager Writing ProgramTechnology (iPads, MacBook laptops, cart)Mystery Science ProgramStudies Weekly ProgramTouchless water dispensers Faucett-Vestavia Elementary - $24,999.33 Technology (smart panels, iPads, MacBook laptops)Touchless water dispensers Flatwoods Elementary - $25,000.00 Technology (iPads) Huntington Place Elementary - $24,681.25 Technology (iPads, cart) Matthews Elementary - $24,919.18 Playground equipment and sidewalkTechnology (iPads)Lions Quest Character Development Program Northport Elementary - $24,981.60 Technology (MacBook laptops) Lloyd Wood Education Center - $5,000.00 Playground enhancements Follow Patch here for updates or on Facebook and Twitter.