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<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><img width="624" height="147" style="width:6.5in;height:1.5277in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D82D6E.F45C93F0" alt="Graphical user interface, text
Description automatically generated"></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">March 1, 2022</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><u><span style="font-size:24.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Gov. Little signs “Leading Idaho” Empowering Parents grants into law</span></u></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Caldwell, Idaho – At Sacajawea Elementary School in Caldwell, Governor Brad Little signed
</span><a href="https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2022/legislation/S1255/" target="_BLANK"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Senate Bill 1255</span></a><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"> into law today, putting $50 million
toward the new “Empowering Parents” grants. The grants are a key part of Governor Little’s “Leading Idaho” plan for record investments in families and education.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">“The Empowering Parents grants reinforce this fact – a person’s education starts in the home. Parents are in the driver’s seat, as they should be and always will be in Idaho. The Empowering
Parents grants put families in control of their child’s education and helps set them up for success,”</span></b><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"> Governor Little said.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Throughout Idaho and the country, the pandemic pushed many parents toward new ways of meeting the educational needs of their children. In 2020, Idaho served 18,000 Idaho families and 46,000
students with grants to help cover educational needs outside the classroom.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">Senate Bill 1255 builds on that success, putting new resources toward similar grants to cover things such as computers, tutoring, internet connectivity and other needs so students have
the best chance for success. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">The Empowering Parents grants will be available for both public and non-public students to address learning loss and provide support for our most at-risk students.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif">“The Empowering Parents grants were a key part of my ‘Leading Idaho’ plan, and I appreciate my legislative partners for making it a priority, especially the bill’s sponsors, Senator
Lori Den Hartog and Representative Wendy Horman,”</span></b><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"> Governor Little added.
<b>“The children today will become the workforce of tomorrow. We want our Idaho students to receive a strong foundation of learning now so they can stay here and make our state prosperous for future generations.”</b></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="paragraph" align="center" style="text-align:center;background:white"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black"># # #</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="background:white"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="background:white"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black">NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: Marissa Morrison
</span></span><span class="spelle"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black">Hyer</span></span><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black">, Press Secretary</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="background:white"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black">208-943-1686 or </span></span><span style="color:black"><a href="mailto:marissa.morrison@gov.idaho.gov"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;text-decoration:none">marissa.morrison@gov.idaho.gov</span></span></a></span><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="background:white"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black">--</span></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="background:white"><span style="color:black"><a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001jPcDrZTUF2iffZAaFR5CaCO9D9OTNmcIrS9m2JnRBQLxSmCCDvAfzkhQC6WRNcW4O6931CUyPvAzTSP21AiJ4rioUvabaHbWJxzuwF2hEYM%3D#_blank" target="_BLANK"><span class="normaltextrun"><i><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;text-decoration:none">Sign
up to receive news from Governor Little</span></i></span></a></span><span class="eop"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="paragraph" style="background:white"><span class="normaltextrun"><i><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black">Reply to this e-mail to unsubscribe</span></i></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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