JEFFERSON TWP — Knoch School District was allocated two noncompetitive grants from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency in its preliminary 2024-25 budget, business manager Jamie Van Lenten announced during a presentation Wednesday, March 13.

The grants were made available after the 2023-24 state budget was finalized and approved in December.

One grant, which was awarded last week, focuses on mental health initiatives.

At $125,222, the money would cover 81% of the school district’s social worker and mental health clinician’s salaries and benefits, Van Lenten stated. Previously, the positions were funded by federal money used to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in schools under the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund.

The second $40,000 security grant, which has yet to be disbursed, would be used to install new exterior doors and an electronic locking system at Knoch Intermediate Elementary School. After the school board meeting, Van Lenten said the project could potentially begin as early as this summer.

The school district also applied for a competitive security grant in the amount of $397,442, also from the PCCD.

According to Van Lenten’s presentation, the funds would be used to implement safety measures for student parking cut from the ongoing high school construction project due to cost restraints.

The presentation stated the grant would help “illuminate a crosswalk from the elementary schools and student parking lot to the secondary side of the campus.” The district also is requesting bollards, signage, sidewalks, fencing and protective hedging.

The PCCD will review grant applications until the end of May, Van Lenten said after the meeting.

The district will review its 2024-25 budget in May. The next budget presentation will take place in April and will focus on expenses, Van Lenten said.