Richland One Schools awarded $14.9 million Magnet School Programs Grant

Richland One Schools was awarded a $14.9 million Magnet School Programs Grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)— Richland One Schools was awarded a $14.9 million Magnet School Programs Grant from the U.S. Department of Education. They are one of two schools in South Carolina chosen for the competitive grant.

The grant will go towards funding BLAST (Building Lasting Aerospace and STEAM Trajectories) over a five-year period.

The programs will encourage careers in aerospace and STEM-related field at three Richland One schools. Watkins-Nance Elementary School and W.A. Perry Middle School will each gain new aerospace magnet programs, and Columbia High School will establish a national defense-themed magnet program concentrating on pre-engineering, biomedical, cybersecurity, and aerospace.

The U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona says the MSAP grants “support efforts to develop and revitalize magnet schools with academically challenging and innovative instructional approaches designed to bring together students from different social, economic, ethnic and racial backgrounds.”

The programs will begin August 2023.

Online applications open December 2022.

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded a nearly $15 million grant to @RichlandOne to implement magnet programs at three schools. The programs will begin in August 2023. #TeamOne #OneTeam https://t.co/y8I0JXLoL7 pic.twitter.com/muFJkgbopH

— Richland One Schools (@RichlandOne) October 6, 2022