Springfield City Council could vote to approve funding for SHINE program through Springfield Public Schools

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - The Springfield City Council could vote on a bill Monday that would approve hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding for the SHINE program through Springfield Public Schools.

SHINE is a new before- and after-school support service to help students who may have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program began at all SPS schools on Aug. 23.

According to Monday’s agenda, city council members could vote to enable nearly $300,000 in grant funding for the SHINE program. If approved, the money would be allocated from $3.4 million in coronavirus relief funds. The funding would initially be approved for a one-year period, but could be renewed for two additional one-year periods.

The SHINE program, which is available to all SPS students, is designed to provide learning opportunities for under-resourced and under-performing students in an effort to close the achievement gap, according to the district.

The program intends to help low-income students, children with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and children and youth in foster care. Through the program, academic coordinators work directly with students to provide academic enrichment opportunities in non-traditional disguised learning environments.

Among schools involved in the program include Carver Middle School, Cherokee Middle School, Harrison Elementary, Pipkin Middle School, Truman Elementary, Watkins Elementary, Westport Elementary and Wilson’s Creek Elementary.

For more information on the SHINE program, CLICK HERE.

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