The Ely School District is adding to its workforce, but if all goes as planned, payroll expenditures won’t rise at all.
At the suggestion of board member Tom Omerza, the district is adding a part-time grant writer position on a one-year trial basis.
Thanks to a $30,000 donation, Ely’s Independent School District 696 has money to fund the position, but school officials have made it clear that the position is expected to fund itself, with grant funds obtained for the district also expected to fund the position on a continuing basis.
The job, which was posted this week, comes as the district faces continuing financial struggles as a result of rising costs and declines in student enrollment.
Omerza helped push for the grant writing position, in an effort to help the district tap into new revenue sources.
Board members reviewed a draft job description at a study session last month and voted unanimously to approve it on Monday, during a brief regular board meeting.
According to the job description, the grant writer will be “responsible for identifying, developing and securing external funding opportunities that align with the district’s strategic goals and priorities. This position will play a key role in expanding resources for academic programs, student services, technology, facilities and community partnerships.”
The district identified numerous essential duties and responsibilities, with developing and submitting grant proposals at the top of the list.
The successful candidates will be expected to “research, write and submit high-quality competitive grant applications to federal, state and private funding sources on behalf of the district.”
The new grant writer will also be expected to build grant management systems, identify long-term funding streams, collaborate across departments, monitor and report, build capacity and develop community partnerships including coordinating sponsorships and naming rights for district programs, facilities, and initiatives in accordance with school board policy and district guidelines.
The grant writer will be able to work remotely, with visits to the school campus, and the candidate will be an at-will employee who reports to the superintendent, with evaluation on a quarterly basis.
