Konocti Unified wins $1.6 million in arts grant competition
With a score of 292/300 points possible, Konocti Unified School District (KUSD) was one of only 27 school districts nationwide to be awarded the Assistance for Arts Education (AAE) grant by the U.S. Department of Education. The four-year grant will provide $405,900 per year to fund a districtwide elementary music program using face-to-face instruction supported by online resources called Online Rural Arts and Music Program, or On-Ramp.
KUSD Superintendent Becky Salato said, “Konocti Unified is thrilled to bring music to our elementary students through this new program. Research shows that participation in the arts is good for kids—it improves academic achievement, engages students and families, and builds the social-emotional learning skills that students need for success in school and in life.”
On-Ramp is designed to support teachers in integrating music into math and language literacy curricula. Katie Wiley, KUSD visual and performing arts chair who will serve as the grant program manager, said, “Instructional minutes are precious at the elementary level, especially as when we are trying to recover from a pandemic, so taking time out of the day to add music would be difficult. This program uses music to reinforce lessons in math and English.”
The first year will be a planning year, beginning with a listening tour at each elementary school where students, staff, and parents can share ideas to shape the project. Using stakeholder feedback, KUSD will develop plans to implement the new music program district-wide. In the summer of 2022, KUSD will hire a music specialist who can support face-to-face lessons as well as create online lessons for teachers to employ in their classrooms.
KUSD also hopes to train 32 elementary teachers to become integration specialists, one per grade at each school site. These integration specialists will support fellow teachers in implementing On-Ramp. Finally, KUSD will invite local artists and parents to supplement music integration, for example, by providing music-related mini-lessons for students. KUSD will roll out the new music program for K-2 students first in the fall of 2022, and in subsequent years for grades 3-5, then 6-7.
Wiley, who teaches band at Lower Lake High School (LLHS), said, “Unless students come from the KEC music pathway, they usually arrive at the high school without any foundation in musical principles, and in four short years they perform at a high level. I’m excited to see what happens when they come in with some knowledge to build on.” The LLHS arts program currently includes drama, dance, visual art, ceramics, choir, show choir, guitar, beginning band, concert band, and jazz band.
Wiley invites all interested educators, parents, and community members to attend an informational meeting on January 13 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the McClung Conference Room at the District Office, located at 9430B Lake Street in Lower Lake. In addition to explaining the program and answering questions, Wiley hopes to identify potential steering committee members, who will provide input on key funding decisions throughout the life of the grant. Steering committee members will receive a small annual stipend for their service.
To support this work, KUSD is partnering with a nationally recognized project team that has successfully implemented multimillion-dollar arts grants in other districts around the country. Their efforts in federal grant projects have led to significant student achievement. Big Idea Arts and Education Consulting will help to manage the On-Ramp project in collaboration with district staff, while Education Design provides research and program evaluation.