Washington County Public Schools has been awarded a total of $415,532 in grants from the Virginia Department of Education to support student services, school safety and innovative learning opportunities for the 2026-2027 school year.
The grants include $250,000 for the Community Schools initiative, $115,532 through the School Security Equipment Grant Program, and $50,000 to support planning for an innovative approach to programming at the Washington County Career & Technical Education Center.
Grant Writing Partnership
More than $300,000 of this grant funding has been secured during the first six months of our partnership with the Center for Nonprofit Excellence (CNE) and the Wellspring Foundation of Southwest Virginia. The partnership provides professional grant writing support, fully funded by CNE and the Wellspring Foundation of Southwest Virginia, at no cost to students or taxpayers.
Grant funding is competitive and is not guaranteed. The partnership brings together professional grant writing expertise with the school division’s knowledge of the needs of its students and schools. Together, that expertise has helped WCPS pursue additional funding opportunities and bring more resources into the division.
This early success demonstrates the value of continued partnerships in helping WCPS create additional opportunities and resources for students.
Community Schools Initiative – $250,000
WCPS has been awarded a $250,000 grant to continue and expand its Community Schools initiative across all 16 WCPS schools during the 2026-2027 school year.
Community Schools is a statewide model that brings together schools, families and community partners to address the range of needs that can affect a student's ability to learn and thrive. The model connects academic support, behavioral and physical health services, family engagement and basic needs resources, such as food and clothing, so students and families can access coordinated support through their schools.
The funding is part of a $7.5 million statewide investment from the 2026 Virginia General Assembly and will support efforts to expand behavioral health support capacity, strengthen family engagement, continue in-school student support coordination and help provide basic-needs resources for students across the division.
WCPS has participated in the Community Schools initiative since 2023, and 14 of its 16 schools have already earned official Virginia Community Schools Designation.
School Security Equipment Grant – $115,532
The Virginia Department of Education has awarded WCPS a total of $115,532 through the 2026 School Security Equipment Grant Program. The funding will support security improvements and equipment at four schools in Washington County:
E.B. Stanley Middle School: Security vestibule and two-way radios
Meadowview Elementary School: Two-way radios
Valley Institute Elementary School: Security cameras
Wallace Middle School: Security cameras and two-way radios
These improvements will provide schools with additional tools and resources to support safe and secure learning environments for students and staff.
Innovation Grant – $50,000
WCPS has also been awarded $50,000 to support planning for an innovative approach to programming at the Washington County Career & Technical Education Center (WCCTEC).
The project will explore ways to integrate government, English and mathematics instruction with career and technical education so students who choose to do so can spend their full school day at WCCTEC rather than returning to their home high schools for core academic classes.
The goal is to create a more integrated learning experience that connects academic coursework with career and technical education and gives students opportunities to apply what they are learning to real-world situations.
The grant funding will support the planning and development work needed to explore this model.
Together, these grants provide $415,532 in new funding to support student needs, innovative learning opportunities and school safety across Washington County Public Schools.