The minimum grant award for Title III is $10,000, therefore it is necessary for low-incidence, rural schools to form a consortium in order to qualify for funds. As far back as 2003-04, the SEEC member schools have formed consortia to apply for Title III funds and have received grants varying from $12,000 - $24,000. In 2008-09, the SEEC began to apply for and manage the Title III grant funds on behalf of member schools. The benefits of membership in our Title III consortium include access to funding for EL endorsement reimbursement, reimbursement for EL related professional development/conference expenses and reimbursement for supplemental materials and activities that enhance the core EL program.

During the 2022-23 school year we used our funds to:

• Provide reimbursement for 8 teachers who are working on their ELL endorsement (total of 21 teachers supported in last 8 years)

• Offer the EL Program Boot Camp in January for staff working with EL Programs

• Support supplemental site licenses or website membership fees along with supplemental language and literacy materials for a number of our member schools (such as RAZ kids, BrainPop ESL, Imagine Learning, and Grammar Gallery)

• Provide technical assistance to many of the EL teachers in the consortium

• Host a consultant to help with ELD standards implementation through a workshop entitled Enacting Equity Through the Genre Approach: WIDA ELD Standards 2020 Edition during the Dakota TESOL Conference in Fargo, ND

• Reimburse for travel costs associated with the Colony Conference (Nov 2022) in Fargo, ND