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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release December 20, 1999

               VICE PRESIDENT GORE ANNOUNCES $67 MILLION
                        FOR AFTER-SCHOOL GRANTS

          Also Announces New $185 Million Competition for 2000

Washington, DC -- Vice President Al Gore today announced the award of nearly $67 million in new grants to 125 communities throughout the nation to provide high-quality community learning centers in 517 schools. The school-based centers will provide enriched learning opportunities to children outside of the regular school hours and during summer in a community school setting.

"There is nothing more important than ensuring our children are safe and receive a high-quality education," said Vice President Al Gore. "These funds will help keep kids off the streets, out of trouble and give many the extra help they need to realize their full potential."

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers program allows schools to stay open longer to provide learning opportunities for children and adults and offers youth tutoring and homework help; academic enrichment; college prep activities; enrichment including chorus, band, drama and the arts; technology education; drug and violence prevention counseling; supervised recreational opportunities; and services for youth with disabilities.

The vice president also announced a new competition for approximately $185 million, also funded with FY 2000 funds, expected to support up to 2,000 new community learning centers in nearly 500 communities in the next school year. In addition, about $200 million will fund schools already participating in the program. The deadline for school districts to apply for the new grants is March 20, 2000.

About 1,600 rural and inner-city public schools in 468 communities - in collaboration with other public and non-profit agencies, organizations, local businesses, postsecondary institutions, scientific/cultural and other community entities - currently participate.

"Our children need safe places to go before and after school to get extra educational help and take part in enriching learning activities," said U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley. "These programs will offer the kinds safe and supervised activities that children and families want and need: tutoring, homework help, and engaging opportunities with the arts and technology. Surveys show that the demand for after-school programs is tremendous - these new projects will expand those opportunities to more young people."

The Education Department received more than 2,000 applications, requesting a total of nearly $900 million, under the FY 1999 competition. A number of high-quality grant applications were not funded, and the grants awarded today are being funded out of $454 million in new FY 2000 Congressional appropriations.

A C.S. Mott Foundation and JC Penney survey conducted this summer revealed that 92 percent of Americans believe that there should be some type of organized activity or after-school program for children and teens every day. Nearly nine of ten adults said it was personally important to them to make sure that after-school programs happen in their community. The most popular benefit of after-school programs, identified by 95 percent of those surveyed, was to help working families. Studies by the FBI and youth-advocacy groups have found that the peak hours for juvenile crime and victimization are from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. -- hours when youth are most often without supervision. The poll showed that adults want to see after-school programs provide children with a safe environment; teach children respect for people different from themselves; provide structured adult supervision, tutoring and homework help, and teach ways to resolve conflict with other young people.

During the new competition for $185 million, the department seeks participation of school districts, collaborating with community-based organizations, to plan and provide services in communities with conditions associated with high dropout rates, such as high poverty, weak economic and community infrastructures, large or growing numbers of limited English proficient students and adults, and low levels of parental education. As in the past, the department and the C.S. Mott Foundation will host a series of regional workshops to assist applicants to plan their programs. This year, there will be at least one workshop in every state sponsored by the National Community Education Association, the National Center for Community Education and the National Association for Bilingual Education. Call 1-800-USA-LEARN for more information.

The 125 school-community partnerships receiving new grants are located in 38 states and Puerto Rico. The average grant award is nearly $500,000 and supports four centers. New grantees, like their earlier counterparts, will receive training funded by the Mott Foundation, which is providing $83 million over six years to support the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Programs and its grantees, and other after-school activities.

The program is authorized under Title X, Part I, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Additional information, including the grant application package and supporting materials, can be obtained via the Internet at http://www.ed.gov/21stcclc/, by telephone (1-800-USA-LEARN), or by e-mail (21stCCLC@ed.gov).

NOTE TO EDITORS: A list of grantees and program contacts is attached. Descriptions of each project are also available on the department's Web site as described above.

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Applicant Legal Name               City       State    # of   Est. First
                                                      Centers    Yr. $
------------------------------------------------------------------------
             ALASKA (3)

Anchorage School District          Anchorage    AK        5     $685,585
Galena City School District        Galena       AK        3     $301,687
Juneau School District             Juneau       AK        2     $369,724

             ARIZONA (3)

Chinle Unified School District     Chinle       AZ        4     $807,877
Globe, Miami & Hayden Unified      Globe        AZ        3     $577,564
  School Districts
Maricopa County Regional Schools   Phoenix      AZ        3     $587,197

           CALIFORNIA (17)

Greenfield Union School District   Bakersfield  CA        9     $996,543
Mt. Diablo Unified School          Bay Point    CA        6     $818,843
  District
Calexico Unified School District   Calexico     CA        2     $383,016
ABC Unified School District        Cerritos     CA        4     $161,850
Chualur Union Elementary School    Chaular      CA        1     $818,843
  District
Sweetwater Union High School       Chula Vista  CA        3     $397,465
  District
Coalinga-Huron Unified School      Coalinga     CA        4     $360,000
  District
West Fresno Elementary School      Fresno       CA        2     $230,447
  District
Mono County Office of Education    Mammoth      CA        7     $186,533
                                     Lakes
Garfield Charter School            Menlo Park   CA        1     $145,425
Oakland Unified School District    Oakland      CA        2     $268,517
Oakland Unified School District    Oakland      CA        3     $375,000
Mountain Empire Unified School     Pine Valley  CA        6   $1,182,492
  District
Alta Vista Elementary School       Porterville  CA        1     $180,450
  District
Jurupa Unified School District     Riverside    CA        3     $362,842
Salida Union School District       Salida       CA        1     $144,037
Coachella Valley Unified School    Thermal      CA        3     $375,000

District

COLORADO (1)

Trinidad Public Schools, Trinidad Trinidad CO 7 $411,580

CONNECTICUT (3)

Bridgeport Board of Education      Bridgeport   CT       17   $1,556,441
Danbury Board of Education         Danbury      CT        3     $353,983
New Haven Public Schools           New Haven    CT        4     $526,842

             FLORIDA (2)

Seminole County Public Schools     Sanford      FL        3     $184,950
Hillsborough County Public         Tampa        FL        5   $1,216,872

Schools

GEORGIA (1)

Dekalb County School System Decatur GA 20 $2,820,965

HAWAII (1)

Hawaii State Department of Naalehu HI 1 $212,118 Education

ILLINOIS (2)

School District U-46               Elgin        IL        2     $121,120
Lowpoint-Washburn CUSD No. 21      Washburn     IL        1     $200,000

             INDIANA (1)

Crawford County Community School   English      IN        6   $1,036,819

Corporation

KANSAS (6)

Unified School District #333       Concordia    KS        3     $463,849
Great Bend Unified School          Great Bend   KS        3     $291,590
  District 428
Leavenworth Unified School         Leavenworth  KS        8     $454,300
  District #453
Bluemont Elementary School         Manhattan    KS        1     $129,252
Unified School District #373       Newton       KS        6     $293,705
USD 378 Riley County, Kansas       Riley        KS        6     $723,094

            KENTUCKY (5)

Corbin Independent Schools         Corbin       KY        3     $365,000
Dayton Independent Schools         Dayton       KY        2     $190,434
Henderson County Board of          Henderson    KY        2     $389,519
  Education
Rockcastle County Middle School    Mt. Vernon   KY        1     $197,863
Owensboro Public Schools           Owensboro    KY        5     $627,451

            LOUISIANA (1)

Terrebonne Parish School Board     Houma        LA        3     $297,045

              MAINE (2)

Maine State Adminstrative          Machias      ME       10     $999,488
  District #77
Portland Public Schools            Portland     ME        5     $741,098

          MASSACHUSETTS (4)

Boston Public Schools              Boston       MA        6     $780,686
Harwich Public Schools             Harwich      MA        3     $300,000
North River Collaborative          Rockland     MA        9   $1,420,565
Tauton Public Schools              Taunton      MA        3     $699,533

            MICHIGAN (3)

Charles R. Drew Middle School      Detroit      MI        3     $557,375
Holland-West Ottawa                Holland      MI        3     $375,305

Saugatuck-Hamilton Community
Educa
School District of the City of Saginaw MI 2 $351,110 Saginaw

MINNESOTA (3)

ISD #91                            Barnum       MN        2     $151,503
Minneapolis Public Schools         Minneapolis  MN        3     $435,184
St. Louis Park Public Schools ISD  St. Louis    MN        1     $132,483
  #283                               Park

           MISSISSIPPI (5)

South Panola School District       Batesville   MS        2     $392,826
Benoit School District             Benoit       MS        1     $152,106
Jackson Public School District     Jackson      MS        3     $751,811
Tate County School District        Senatobia    MS        3     $358,494
Clay County School District        West Point   MS        1     $135,618

            MISSOURI (1)

Richmond R-XVI School District     Richmond     MO        4     $261,125

             MONTANA (1)

Butte Elementary School District   Butte        MT        8     $470,125

NEBRASKA (1)

Omaha Public School District Omaha NE 1 $160,900

NEW JERSEY (2)

Passaic Public Schools             Passaic      NJ        5     $977,055
Pinelands Regional School          Tuckerton    NJ        2     $250,000

District

NEW MEXICO (3)

Socorro Consolidated Schools       Socorro      NM        6     $199,723
Wingate High School                Wingate      NM        2     $179,364
Zuni Public School District        Zuni         NM        5     $586,103

            NEW YORK (7)

Broome-Tioga BOCES                 Binghamton   NY        4     $583,865
New York City Public School 92     Bronx        NY        1     $199,468
Community School District 22       Brooklyn     NY        1     $145,064
Hamilton-Fullton-Montgomery Board  Johnstown    NY        5     $425,725

of Cooperative Educational
Services

Long Beach City School District    Lido Beach   NY        1     $155,723
Syracuse City School District      Syracuse     NY        4   $1,056,811
Utica City School District         Utica        NY        2     $374,420

         NORTH CAROLINA (2)

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School   Chapel Hill  NC        3     $299,372
Durham Public Schools              Durham       NC        5     $889,217

          NORTH DAKOTA (1)

Minot Public Schools               Minot        ND        4     $469,650

              OHIO (2)

East Cleveland City Schools        East         OH        1     $199,040
                                     Cleveland
Warren City School District        Warren       OH        3     $150,024

            OKLAHOMA (10)

Colcord Public School              Colcord      OK        1     $234,020
Mosely Public School               Colcord      OK        1     $198,251
Osage County Interlocal            Hominy       OK        2     $327,015
Cooperative
Hugo City Schools                  Hugo         OK        2      $67,424
McCurtain County Educational       Idabel       OK        6     $400,366
  Co-op
Locust Grove Independent School    Locust Grove OK        1     $196,751
  District
Morrison School District           Morrison     OK        4     $464,874
  Consortium
Pocola Public Schools              Pocola       OK        2     $252,900
Maryetta School District           Stilwell     OK        1     $132,443
Tenkiller School, C066             Welling      OK        1     $198,092

OREGON (4)

South Lane School District 45J3    Cottage      OR        9     $144,148
                                     Grove
Newburg School District 29Jt       Newburg      OR        3     $275,446
School District No. 1              Portland     OR        4     $688,334
Salem-Keizer School District       Salem        OR        4     $633,901

          PENNSYLVANIA (3)

The Chester Upland School          Chester      PA        6   $1,013,669
  District
The William Penn School District   Lansdowne    PA        4     $678,735
Alliance for Progress Charter      Philadelphia PA        1     $250,000

School

PUERTO RICO (1)

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico San Juan PR 3 $490,172

RHODE ISLAND (2)

Pawtucket School Department        Pawtucket    RI        3     $408,022
Woonsocket Education Department    Woonsocket   RI        3     $360,007

         SOUTH CAROLINA (4)

Richland County School District    Columbia     SC        5     $796,849
  #1
Spartanburg School District Three  Glendale     SC        7     $884,970
Williamsburg County School         Kingstree    SC        9   $1,209,730
  District
Lancaster County School District   Lancaster    SC        6     $885,420

          SOUTH DAKOTA (1)

Shannon County School District     Batesland    SD        3     $396,608

#65-1

TENNESSEE (1)

Murfreesboro City School System Murfreesboro TN 3 $723,901

TEXAS (4)

Pegasus Charter School             Dallas       TX        4   $1,529,345
Harris County Department of        Houston      TX       21   $2,131,605
  Education
Sanchez Charter High School        Houston      TX        3     $122,958
Weatherford Independent School     Weatherford  TX        2     $265,254

District

WASHINGTON (7)

Blaine School District #503        Blaine       WA        2     $282,807
Northshore School District         Bothell      WA       10     $254,200
Central Valley School District     Greenacres   WA        5     $656,208
La Conner School District #311     La Conner    WA       32   $6,812,500
Orondo School District             Orondo       WA        1     $113,668
Educational Service District 101   Spokane      WA        5     $242,616
Tonasket School District           Tonasket     WA        4     $155,920

          WEST VIRGINIA (2)

Morgan County Board of Education   Lumberport   WV        2     $278,776
Monroe County Schools              Union        WV        3     $497,380

            WISCONSIN (3)

Unified School District of Antigo  Antigo       WI        3     $572,059
Cooperative Educational Service    Madison      WI        8     $517,075
  Agency #2
The School District of Omro        Omro         WI        1     $159,922

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