School Action Fund Planning Grant

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is committed to relentlessly focusing on improving low-performing schools by transforming these schools and creating new, better options for students. Now more than ever we need to create schools of the future to meet community and students’ needs. The School Action Fund grant supports districts in reimagining, rethinking, and planning schools for school year 2021-2022. 

The purpose of this letter is to announce School Action Fund planning grant opportunities and provide district leadership teams with high-level information regarding the purpose of the grant program, eligible applicants, funding details, and timelines. Districts should view the recorded webinar, consult the Request for Application (RFA), and Program Guidelines available on the TEA Grant Opportunities page for additional information. 

Purpose of the Program 

The purpose of the School Action Fund is to support districts with grant funds and technical assistance to plan and implement school action models. School Action Models are bold approaches by districts to increase the number of students in highly rated schools. 

The school action fund supports the follow school action models: 

• Restart a struggling school 
• Create a new school 
• Reassign to higher performing schools 
• Redesign a school 

Regardless of school action model, all school actions include the following components: 1) Effective Schools Framework-aligned school model; 2) high-quality curriculum and plans to deliver that curriculum asynchronously if needed; 3) student diagnostic assessment; 4) high-dosage tutoring; and 5) extended day or year. 

Exceptional applicants will present a strong will to plan and implement a school action and to work with a TEA designated and matched school action technical assistance provider. School action technical assistance providers have a strong track record of developing and implementing school actions and are rigorously vetted and selected by TEA. 

Eligible Applicants 

TEA will seek applications from independent school districts (ISDs) on behalf of eligible campuses. Eligible applicants are ISDs with 2018-2019 Comprehensive Schools and D- and F-rated Targeted Schools (2019 ratings). 

A campus may not receive funding concurrently from Texas Title I Priority School (TTIPS) Cycle 5 grant funds, a School Redesign grant, a School Transformation Fund grant, or a previous School Action Fund grant. An ISD with multiple eligible campuses will be asked to submit individual applications for each campus for which it seeks funds. 

Project Funding 

For the planning grant, TEA will award up to 40 planning in amounts up to $250,000. The grants will fund applicants during the planning phase of a school action for up to a 12-month grant period ending on July 31, 2021. Upon completion of the grant term, grantees may be eligible for continuation funding to support the implementation of the school action. The total amount of funding available for planning grants will be approximately $9.7 million dollars. 

The number of projects funded will depend on the number of eligible applicants, the school action selected, and the strength of applications. 

Timeline 

The application is due on July 14, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. Grant applicant interviews will be conducted during August 10 – 17, 2020. The grant cycle will begin on September 9, 2020. 

A recorded webinar detailing the School Action Fund and application process is available HERE. 

If you have questions regarding the content of this letter, please contact the Division of System Support & Innovation by email at DSSI@tea.texas.gov. 

Sincerely, 

Marian L. Schutte
Director, Division of System Support and Innovation