1003 School Improvement Grant (SIG) Application

Location:	Connecticut
Posted:	Jun 8, 2026
Due:	Jul 31, 2026
Agency:	State Government of Connecticut
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	Y - Construction of Structures and Facilities
Solicitation No:	RFP:820
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

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Connecticut State Department of Education

Turnaround Office

Request for Proposal (RFP) 820

1003 School Improvement Grant (SIG) Application

Charlene M. Russell-Tucker

Commissioner of Education

Application Issue Date: Monday, June 8, 2026

Application Due Date: Friday, July 31, 2026

SIG 1003 | Table of Contents

PART I: 1003 SIG Application Instructions ………………………………………………………………….… Page 3

A. Submission Instructions

B. Timeline Summary

C. Questions

PART II: 1003 SIG Overview ……………………………..………………………………………………………… Page 4

A. 1003 SIG Overview

B. Eligible Schools

C. 1003 SIG Award Selection Criteria

D. CSDE Turnaround Framework

E. Requirement for Evidence-Based Interventions

F. Modifications and Annual Renewal

PART III: 1003 SIG Application and Budget Instructions …………………………………………………. Page 7

A. eGMS ESSA SIG Competitive Application

B. Budget Proposal

C. Submitting the Application in eGMS

PART IV: Appendices ……………..…………………………………….……………………….…………….……. Page 10

A. Appendix A: List of Eligible Schools

B. Appendix B: 1003 School Improvement Grant Application Scoring Rubric

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER

The Connecticut State Department of Education is committed to a policy of equal opportunity/affirmative action for all

qualified persons. The Connecticut Department of Education does not discriminate in any employment practice,

education program, or educational activity on the basis of: race; color; religious creed; age; sex; pregnancy; sexual

orientation; workplace hazards to reproductive systems; gender identity or expression; marital status; national origin;

ancestry; retaliation for previously opposed discrimination or coercion; intellectual disability; genetic information; learning

disability; physical disability (including, but not limited to, blindness); mental disability (past/present history thereof);

military or veteran status; status as a victim of domestic violence; or criminal record in state employment, in accordance

with applicable statutes unless there is a bona fide occupational qualification excluding persons in any of the

aforementioned protected classes. Inquiries regarding the Connecticut State Department of Education’s

nondiscrimination policies should be directed to:

Attorney Louis Todisco

Connecticut State Department of Education

By Mail: 450 Columbus Blvd., Suite 505 | Hartford, CT 06103-1841

By Telephone: 860-713-6594; By Email: louis.todisco@ct.gov

Freedom of Information:

Pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes (C.G.S.) Section 1-210 et seq. (FOIA), all questions and responses to this RFP

are considered public records and every person shall have the right to (1) inspect such records promptly during regular

office or business hours; (2) copy such records in accordance with C.G.S. Section 1-212(g); or (3) receive a copy of such

records in accordance with C.G.S. Section 1-212.

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PART I: 1003 SIG APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

A. Submission Instructions

Review and follow all directions carefully when completing the 1003 SIG application. All applications must be

submitted via email to Amanda Baksa at amanda.baksa@ct.gov. All applications must be received by 11:59

PM on Friday, July 31, 2026. Please note that all applications become the property of the Connecticut State

Department of Education (CSDE) and are subject to disclosure pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act

(FOIA). Once applications are approved by CSDE, districts will then upload the application through the

eGrants Management System (eGMS). Complete all of the required components. The application will be

deemed incomplete and not rated if required components are not submitted. Completed applications in the

eGMS must include the following:

Required Components:

School Selection

District Application and Assurances

School Plan

Budget Proposal

B. Timeline Summary

Process

1. CSDE releases 1003 SIG application to districts with eligible schools

2. Districts submit 1003 SIG applications via eGMS.

3. CSDE approves plan and awards 1003 SIG funds to districts.

Date

June 8, 2026

July 31, 2026

September 2026

C. Questions

All questions regarding 1003 SIG should be directed to:

Amanda Baksa, Associate Education Consultant, CSDE | E-mail: amanda.baksa@ct.gov

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PART II: SIG 1003 OVERVIEW

A. 1003 SIG Overview

Title I, Part A, Section 1003 SIG authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as

amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015, provides states and districts with funds to leverage

change and turn around chronically underperforming schools. The CSDE anticipates identifying its third cohort

of ESSA 1003 SIG schools through a competitive grant process. For this third cohort, approximately $2.3 million

in 1003 SIG funds are available for competition for the 2026-27 school year. The district may apply for awards

with a minimum of $50,000 per year for eligible Focus schools and a minimum of $200,000 per year for eligible

Title I-identified Turnaround schools. No school may be awarded more than $500,000 per year.

While this application is for a one-year school improvement plan aligned to the 2026–27 school year, awarded

funds under Section 1003 of ESSA will remain available for use through September 30, 2028, consistent with

federal Tydings Amendment guidelines. Districts must obligate funds according to their Year 1 plan. Up to 20%

of unspent funds may be carried over into the following year to support sustainability and continued

implementation. Carryover is tracked annually, and schools may request an exception above the 20% threshold

no more than once every three years.

B. Eligible Schools

States must give priority in awarding 1003 SIG funds to districts that demonstrate the greatest need for the

funds and the strongest commitment to use the funds to substantially raise the achievement of students

attending the persistently lowest-achieving schools. Connecticut schools that are eligible to participate in the

SIG program are schools designated as either Turnaround or Focus schools identified through the 2024-25 Next

Generation Accountability System results. A complete list of eligible schools can be found in Appendix A.

C. 1003 SIG Award Selection Criteria

Using Appendix B: The 1003 School Improvement Grant District Application Rubric, a selection

committee will review and score all applications that meet the minimum submission requirements:

1. School for which the application is submitted must be an eligible Focus or Title I-identified Turnaround

School.

2. A completed application must be submitted via eGMS by Friday, July 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.

All awards are subject to the availability of funds. Grants are not final until the award letter is executed. Given

the number of eligible applicants, the CSDE anticipates a highly competitive process resulting in funding

being awarded to only those applicants submitting well-developed applications and transformative plans that

directly focus on the reason for their designation.

D. CSDE Turnaround Framework

All 1003 School Improvement Grant (SIG) plans must articulate comprehensive, evidence-based strategies

across four critical domains identified by the Connecticut State Department of Education’s (CSDE) Turnaround

Office: (1) Talent, (2) Academics, (3) Culture and Climate, and (4) Operations. These strategies must adhere

to federal requirements, ensuring that only interventions supported by strong, moderate, or promising evidence

are eligible for 1003 SIG funding.

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The funded school is committed to making targeted, transformative investments in the following key areas:

• Talent: Implement robust systems for recruiting, hiring, developing,

evaluating, and retaining high-quality school leaders, educators, and

support personnel to build and sustain instructional excellence.

• Academics: Develop and execute a rigorous, standards-aligned

academic program that is engaging, culturally responsive, and designed

to ensure that all students reach high levels of academic achievement.

• Culture and Climate: Cultivate a safe, inclusive, and supportive school

environment that promotes student well-being, elevates instructional

quality, and strengthens partnerships with families and the broader

community.

• Operations: Establish efficient and effective operational structures that

optimize the use of time, staffing, and financial resources to support

instructional priorities and long-term sustainability.

In cases where implementation of the SIG plan affects provisions within existing collective bargaining

agreements for administrators or teachers, all necessary negotiations will be conducted in accordance with

applicable contractual obligations.

If the SIG plan impacts elements of the collective bargaining agreements applicable to the

administrators and teachers employed by the local board of education, such provisions must be

negotiated in accordance with existing contracts.

E. Requirement for Evidence-Based Interventions

Under ESEA, as amended by ESSA, states must identify two types of low-performing schools:

• Targeted support and improvement (TSI) schools, which are schools with one or more consistently

underperforming subgroups.1 In Connecticut, these schools are referred to as Focus schools.

• Comprehensive support and improvement (CSI) schools, known in Connecticut as Turnaround

schools, which include:

o the lowest-performing five percent of Title I schools in the state;

o any public high school failing to graduate one-third or more of its students; and

o Title I schools with a consistently underperforming subgroup that, on its own, is performing as

poorly as students in the lowest-performing five percent of Title I schools, and that has failed to

improve after the school has implemented a targeted support and improvement plan.2

Focus and Turnaround schools3 must develop plans for improving student outcomes that (among other things):

• are informed by all the indicators for differentiating schools listed above;

• include evidence-based interventions (see box below); and

• are based on an assessment of the school’s needs.4

1 ESSA, Section 1111(c)(4)(C)(iii) and Section 1111(d)(2). ESSA does not define what it means to be consistently underperforming but rather leaves it

for states to define.

2 ESSA, Section 1111(c)(4)(D).

3 For CSI (Turnaround) schools, the Local Education Agency (LEA) develops the plan, which must be approved by the school. ESSA, Section

1111(d)(1)(B).

4 ESSA, Section 1111(d)(1)(B) and Section 1111(d)(2)(B).

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This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.

1003 School Improvement Grant (SIG) Application

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