New grant program announced for non-public schools in Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Governor Larry Hogan announced on Thursday that the State of Maryland will launch a new $1.6 million grant program to provide additional support for non-public schools.

Back in 2016, the governor established the Broadening Options and Opportunities for Students Today (BOOST) program to provide scholarships for low-income students from areas with under-performing schools to attend non-public schools. Through BOOST, the state has provided more than $50 million to fund scholarships for low-income students.

Last year, the governor announced two rounds of Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools funding to provide financial assistance to support safely reopening schools and helping students recover from learning loss associated with the pandemic. We’re told that with the leftover funding from that program, the governor is establishing a $1.6 million grant program that will cover several eligible expenses, including:

• Supplies to sanitize, disinfect, and clean school facilities
• Improving ventilation systems, including windows or portable air purification systems to ensure healthy air in the non-public schools
• Educational technology, including hardware, software, connectivity, assistive technology, and adaptive equipment
• Expanding capacity to administer COVID-19 testing to effectively monitor and suppress the virus, including conducting surveillance and contact tracing activities, and supporting other activities related to COVID testing for students teachers, and staff at the non-public school
• Reasonable transportation costs

We’re told the Maryland State Department of Education will post the grant application and conduct outreach to eligible non-public schools in early October.