NHS Parents of Practical Arts Students,

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has announced a parent reimbursement grant for local school districts. This funding comes from GEER II, a segment of Covid relief funds to be used at the state level. For Missouri, a portion of the funding has been earmarked to assist parents of students in Career and Technical Education programs. 

The pandemic significantly limited the ability of many parents to support their children as they earned credentials for their own careers. It has also limited the ability for schools to provide support for equipment and attire traditionally associated with these programs. The Parent Reimbursement Grant through GEER II aims to offset parents’ costs associated with these situations. 

DESE determines what programs are considered Career and Technical, therefore being eligible for this program opportunity. NHS  programs considered Career and Technical are: FFA, FBLA, FACS, and FCCLA. The following has been determined to be acceptable reimbursable items for these programs.

Costs of credentials (Ex. ServSafe)

Dual Credit Courses (Tuition)

FFA Official Dress ($150 Limit/student)

Industry-specific Tools

Clothing associated with FCCLA (Limit to $250 per student)

Business attire for FBLA (Limit to $250 per student)

Eligible purchases are those made after July 1, 2022 and itemized receipt(s) will be required for all reimbursements. The receipt needs to be attached to the reimbursement request form included with this letter.

Each item must be paid by the parents and receipts turned into their classroom teacher or advisor. The Practical Arts Department will submit funding requests in early November for reimbursement. Once payment is received from the state, the reimbursement will be sent to parents.

This is an excellent opportunity to receive reimbursement for items that are typically out of pocket. Please note that this is a limited opportunity due to pandemic relief funding and will not be a new norm for these classes.

If you have any questions regarding the GEER II grant, please feel free to email Chris Fenske fenskechris@neoshosd.org. We proudly serve our students in the Practical Arts Department and look forward to utilizing these funds to help our students.

Sincerely

Chris Fenske

Practical Arts Chair