FY2025: METCO

Fund Code: 0317

Purpose:

The purpose of the state-funded METCO Program is to expand educational opportunities, increase diversity, and reduce racial isolation for students in urban and suburban communities, by fostering the opportunity for children from Boston and Springfield to attend public schools in neighboring communities in order for students to develop a deeper understanding of one another in an integrated public school setting. The METCO program provides students of participating school districts the opportunity to experience the advantages of learning and working in a racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse setting.

Priorities:

The priorities of this fund source are to provide Boston and Springfield students further opportunities to achieve at high levels the learning standards of the state curriculum frameworks and enrich both the urban and suburban communities by providing opportunities and support for cross-cultural understanding and appreciation.

Applicants for this grant opportunity should be deliberate and intentional in the use of grant funds to support the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) standards and priorities. Specifically, this program may include, but not be limited to, the following priorities:

1. Academic & Mental Health Supports for METCO Students
2. Human Resource Needs and Professional Development for METCO Leaders & Program Staff
3. Transportation

Eligibility:

School districts participating currently in the METCO Program are eligible to continue their participation in the program. These districts are Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Braintree, Brookline, Cohasset, Concord, Dover, East Longmeadow, Foxborough, Hingham, Lexington, Lincoln, Longmeadow, Lynnfield, Marblehead, Melrose, Natick, Needham, Newton, Reading, Scituate, Sharon, Sherborn, Springfield, Sudbury, Swampscott, Wakefield, Walpole, Wayland, Wellesley, Weston, Westwood, Concord Carlisle, Dover Sherborn, Hampden Wilbraham, Lincoln Sudbury, Southwick Tolland Granville.

Please reach out to the Program Unit Contact (listed below) if your district is interested in participating in the METCO Program.

Funding Type:

State 7010-0012

Funding:

Funding is contingent upon availability and state line-item appropriations. Approximately $26,200,000 is available. All dollar amounts listed in the FY25 allocations are level funded from FY24 and are considered estimates/approximates that are subject to change based on the final state budget. Increase or decrease adjustments to the allocations may be required in accordance with final state budget funding.

Boston and Springfield METCO districts seeking to expand their program either by grade and/or available student seats must contact DESE and obtain approval before doing so.

This RFP is the governing document for these grant funds.

Funding is contingent upon availability. All dollar amounts listed are estimated/approximate and are subject to change. If more funding becomes available it will be distributed under the same guidelines that appear in this RFP document.

Fund Use:

Grant funds must prioritize academic & mental health supports for METCO students, human resource needs and professional development for METCO leaders & program staff, alongside transportation so that METCO students are able to access programming at the same level as in-district students.

In the area of academic & mental health supports for METCO students, services may include, but are not limited to, regular day and after-school tutoring and mentoring programs, initiatives that bridge opportunity gaps between and within METCO students and students who live in suburban communities, and other programs and services that support family and community engagement.

In the area of human resource needs and professional development for METCO leaders & program staff, funds may be used to support professional development geared towards building a culturally and linguistically responsive school culture that contribute to increased cross-cultural and racial understanding, professional development for new and current METCO staff, and memberships to and participation in professional organizations focused on diversity.

Funds may be used for local district costs incurred as a result of the participation of METCO students, METCO transportation costs, and for supplemental services that will contribute in a measurable way to enhanced educational opportunity and academic achievement, as well as enrichment.

Funds can be used to supplement, but not supplant the costs of district participation in METCO. All budgets must be reviewed and approved by the district METCO leader. Please note that due to the origin of these funds, MTRS is not an allowable expense.

Project Duration:

Upon Approval* – 6/30/2025

*Grant start date cannot be prior to DESE receiving a substantially approvable Application Submission as directed in this RFP's Submission Instructions. Goods and Services cannot be procured prior to Grants receiving and approving an application submission. Funds cannot exceed the project duration end date.

Program Unit:

Center for Strategic Initiatives

Contact:

Sylvia Lam , Strategic Initiatives Coordinator

Phone Number:

(781) 338-3567

Date Due:

Monday, July 1, 2024 by 5 p.m.
Proposals must be received at the Department by 5 p.m. Eastern on the date due.

GEM$ Submission Instructions:

The FY25 0317 METCO Grant will be submitted in our new GEM$ system. GEM$ is a cloud-based fiscal and program management grant system that will eventually phase out the use of EdGrants.

Grants for Education Management System (GEM$)

Please Note: Grant Submission at the LEA level requires roles to be established for Grant writer for the specific fund code, LEA fiscal for financial review/approval, and Superintendent/Chief Executive sign off. All these roles should be established prior to the grant due date and all appropriate forms should be either uploaded to GEM$, maintained at the LEA level or sent in to the DESE RFP contact as described on the individual forms. The user guidance documents and forms are found on the GEM$ homepage under DESE Resources. These form can be accessed without logging in to the system.

Last Updated: June 20, 2024