Through the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) and the Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER II), Warsaw R-IX announces the Parent Reimbursement Grant. This program provides reimbursement to parents for expenses associated with their students acquiring specific Career and Technical Education credentials.

The pandemic significantly limited the ability of many parents to earn wages and support their students as they earned credentials for their own careers. Because developing a competitive workforce for high-demand jobs is a critical priority, Missouri implemented the Parent Reimbursement Grant to offset parents’ costs of credentials earned by students through Career and Technical Education (CTE) and associated CTE instructional costs.

Allocations were calculated based on the number of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch in grades 9 through 12 in each school district. Warsaw's allocation was $18,567.25 and can be found on page 9 of the grant guidance. While the grant does not specify how those dollars should be disbursed and each district can distribute as they see fit, Warsaw R-IX has chosen to collect all reimbursement requests made prior to September 1, 2023 and then fully fund as many as possible. Should the requests total more than the allocation, Warsaw R-IX will equally divide up the grant and disburse appropriately. Parents/Guardians can expect the reimbursement check from the district by the end of September.

Through the program, Warsaw R-IX is able to reimburse parents/guardians for expenses related to CTE costs that were incurred between March 2020 to September 2023. Parent Reimbursement Grant funds may be used to reimburse for equipment and clothing purchased by the student/family required for the student’s CTE training. The items should fall into the following categories.

• Industry- and school-specific professional dress (uniforms, official CTSO-required clothing, etc.)

• Industry-specific tools

• Industry-specific specialty equipment and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Examples include but are not limited to the following.

• Carpentry: tool pouch/bag, tool belt, tools, hand-held power tools

• Automotive & Diesel: (hand-held) computer diagnostic or test equipment, tools, tool box

• Culinary: capes, hat, knife set

• Welding: PPE, auto-darkening helmets, leather capes, sleeves, gloves

• Nursing / Health: stethoscope, scrubs

• Auto Collision Repair: hand tools, paintless-dent repair tools, finish spray tools, etc.

• Electrical / Electronics: Digital scan tools, digital multi-meters (DMM), etc.

To request reimbursement, please mail the following information to our district office prior to September 1, 2023.

• Student name

• Parent/Guardian name and mailing address

• Brief letter asking for reimbursement and explaining the relation of the expense to a CTE program

• Copy of receipt, invoice, or some form of verification of purchase

These items should be taken to the Warsaw R-IX Central Office or mailed to the following address.

Warsaw R-IX School District
ATTN: Parent Reimbursement Grant
PO Box 248
Warsaw, MO 65355

Again, we are requiring all documentation from parents to be turned in prior to September 1, 2023, so please don't miss this great opportunity!