EMPOWERING PARENTS GRANTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE AVAILABLE BY THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR

The Office of the Idaho State Board of Education is working with the State Division of Purchasing to expedite the process to name a contractor to administer the Empowering Parents grant program.

The program, part of the Governor’s “Leading Idaho” investments in Idaho students, will make funding available to Idaho families to purchase school-related supplies and services for their students during the upcoming school year.

A notice related to the Empowering Parents “Request for Qualifications” (RFQ) was posted today in the Division of Purchasing’s Procurement system. The RFQ will be posted in the eProcurement system next week.

“Proposals received will be evaluated based on criteria established by the Board in consultation with the Division of Purchasing. We anticipate there could be several companies interested in the contract,” Board Executive Director Matt Freeman said. “Early in the pandemic, we saw how impactful the ‘Strong Families, Strong Students’ program was for families and students throughout the state. We want to do all we can to get the Empowering Parents program operational as close to the start of the school year as possible.”

The Idaho Legislature and Governor Brad Little created the Empowering Parents grant program by passing and approving Senate Bill 1242 during the last legislative session. It makes $50 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds available for direct grants to families. Grants awards will be $1,000 per student or a maximum of $3,000 per family for eligible students attending public or non-public schools to address learning loss and provide educational resources.

The successful bidder will operate a digital marketplace where families can use grant funds to purchase eligible goods and services.

Families can sign up for Empowering Parents program updates on the State Board of Education website.