After-school programs may start again next year

A popular program that provided after-school and summer educational activities for students may return to Lake Roosevelt Schools next year.

School District Superintendent Rod Broadnax told the district board of directors Monday that several people have volunteered to help get the funding back that is lacking this year from the 21st Century grant program that once funded the District’s SHARP Kids program.

Broadnax said Gene Sharrett, former NCW Education Services District superintendent, and one other person met with him Friday.

“I’m very excited about this,” Broadnax said. “I met with a team who wants to invest in GCDSD that is well connected in the state.”

He said they would be working with the district administrative team to complete a new 21st Century grant application to restart the program in the 2025-26 school year.

The funding had been renewed in 2019 for five years, a Star report from that June states. It was not immediately clear why it didn’t continue through the current school year.