Tribal Council approves grant application for parent engagement activities

By Danielle Harrison

Smoke Signals editor

Tribal Council approved an application for a grant focused on supporting Tribal families and parents with educational-related activities at its Wednesday, April 30, meeting.

The $500,000, five-year grant would be used by the Tribal Education Department to provide parent engagement activities, host community culture camps and other events for families, as well as provide a disability screening and referral program.

Tribal Education Department Manager Angela Fasana told council members at a Tuesday, April 29, Legislative Action Committee meeting that the programming could potentially feature a mixture of current and new events.

“We like to keep things fresh and some people tend to get tired of the same events, so we could sub out or change some of the events,” she said. “We’re always assessing ways we can get parents to engage. As kids get older, engagement changes, and so it could be new but will definitely support current (activities).”

Tribal Council member Lisa Leno thanked Fasana for all of her efforts.

“I’m really excited for these opportunities for grants,” she said. “We don’t really recognize the opportunities our young children have now and the professionalism of our staff, and the support and resources our families receive. It’s a real gift. I really appreciate all of the work that you do.”

In other action, Tribal Council:

• Approved a grant application to U.S. Department of Education for the Native American Teacher Retention Initiative for up to $500,000;
• Approved a contract amendment with Perlo Construction of Tualatin for the modernization of the second floor of Great Circle Recovery in Salem;
• Removed former Tribal General Manager Angie Blackwell as an authorized signer on the Tribe’s bank, sweep and investment accounts and granted signing authority to Interim Tribal General Manager Bryan Langley;
• Approved a grant application to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Habitat Restoration and Resilience Grants for Tribes and Undeserved Communities for up to $2 million;
• Approved a grant application to the U.S. Department of Education for professional development training for up to $450,000;
• Approved an easement for Norwest Natural Gas at the Chemawa Station property in Keizer to service phase two development;
• And approved a master lessor consent agreement at Chemawa Station for phase two development;

To watch the entire meeting, visit the Tribal government’s website at www.grandronde.org and click on the Videos tab.