Six DeKalb County school districts awarded state grants for building maintenance

DeKALB – Six DeKalb county school districts were recently awarded state funding to help maintain school buildings.

The funding was awarded through the Illinois State Board of Education, according to a news release. The state board of education awarded more than 600 applicants funds for the maintenance and upkeep of educational buildings.

Genoa-Kingston District 424, Indian Creek District 425, DeKalb District 428, Sandwich District 430 and Somonauk District 432 all received $50,000 in grant money, according to the release. Hiawatha District 426 located in Kirkland was awarded $22,500.

The school maintenance grant program is a dollar-for-dollar state matching grant open to school districts, cooperative high schools, vocational centers and special education cooperatives, according to the release.

To be eligible for School Maintenance Grants, applicants must be capable of matching any awarded state funds and commit to completing proposed projects within two years of funding dispersal.

Funds must be used exclusively for the maintenance or upkeep of educational buildings, but applicants are given the freedom to submit projects that involve multiple types of work for a single building or a single type of improvement for several buildings.

“By investing in our educational infrastructure, we set Illinois students up for success,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in the news release. “Our state’s youth spend a majority of their days inside school buildings. It is our duty to make sure those facilities are safe, clean, well-lit and adequately ventilated.”

School Maintenance Grants are awarded in order of five priorities. Emergency projects made necessary by a disaster; health or life safety projects to remodel or improve an existing structure; state priority projects necessary for energy conservation or to better serve students in an area where the applicant receives funding under Illinois School Code; permanent improvement projects designed to upgrade building systems (e.g., HVAC, plumbing); and others.

“Each and every student in Illinois deserves access to safe and healthy facilities that support their well-being and academic growth,” State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala said in the news release.

“These grants can help schools make necessary upgrades to make buildings safer, healthier and more energy efficient so they save taxpayer dollars in the long run. We are grateful to the General Assembly and the governor for the funding for these critically important School Maintenance Grants,” Ayala said.