Salem Public Schools Receives PRISM Grant to Support High-Quality Reading Instruction

SPS one of 15 districts statewide to receive PRISM grant
SALEM (Jan. 29, 2025) – Salem Public Schools is one of 15 schools in the Commonwealth to receive the Partnership for Reading Success in Massachusetts (PRISM) Grant for $30,000 to support early literacy success, Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll announced Monday.
Among the 15 Local Education Agencies (LEAs) selected, Salem was one of seven districts to receive the full amount for the remainder of the school year, alongside Peabody and Lynn.
The grant is expected to help fund literacy materials and resources for students in pre-kindergarten through grade 3 as well as professional development for Salem educators.
Currently in its planning stages until the end of the school year, funding will go to stipends for educators in the PRISM Leadership Planning Committee. Following planning, funds will be directed to curriculum materials, educator stipends and professional development.
According to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) PRISM website, a total of $27,000,000 is expected to be awarded to PRISM districts in this cohort over the full five anticipated years of the grant.
“We are grateful to have this financial and partnership support from DESE for the benefit of all of our students, particularly at a time in which District resources are expected to be tight,” said Sara Yuen, Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Pre-K-Grade 5.
The PRISM grant fully aligns with the District’s Strategic Plan, particularly its core value of elevating learning.
According to the press release, the grants were among the priorities of the Healey-Driscoll administration’s budget priorities called “Literacy Launch: Reading Success from Age 3 through Grade 3.” Literacy Launch makes certain Massachusetts schools, educators and students have access to high-quality, evidence-based reading instruction through literacy materials, technical support, coaching and professional development.
“Massachusetts is No. 1 in the nation for education, and we’re on a mission to be No. 1 for early literacy as well,” said Governor Healey. “We’re doing that through Literacy Launch, which is making the best reading materials available to more districts and more students. I am pleased to see the first funding from this going out the door to districts today. I want to thank the Legislature for their partnership in this important work – seeing that every child in this state is able to read and read well.”
“Literacy is an essential part of students’ development, and the learning opportunities created by the Literacy Launch program will have lasting impacts on our students through the rest of their academic careers,” said Senator Joan Lovely (D-Salem). “Thank you to the Healey-Driscoll Administration and Education Secretary (Patrick) Tutwiler for your commitment to our students’ education.”
SPS has been fortunate to have received several grants since the beginning of the 2024-25 school year:
- In December, Salem High School’s Career Technical Education program received Chapter 74 funding, resulting in more funding and seats in the Programming and Web Development and Carpentry tracks.
- In early December, SPS was awarded two grants totaling $76,000 toward multilingual learner education from DESE which will provide funding for the Seal of Biliteracy Exams (Mar. 3-5) at Salem High School as well as placement exams for grade 6 students entering grade 7, and grade 8 students entering grade 9 who are beginning or continuing their study of a new language.
- In October, the Healey-Driscoll administration awarded $1.7 million in funding to CTE schools statewide, including SHS, to boost CTE enrollment, support workforce development, career training and industry collaboration in fields like advanced manufacturing, early education, and health assisting.
- In July, SPS earned two grants from the Healey-Driscoll Administration: The Massachusetts Life Science Center’s (MLSC) STEM Equipment and Professional Development Grant for $169,175 to grow its science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) curriculum by purchasing lab equipment, materials, supplies, and technology; and the $480,000 Career Technical Initiative Grant which provides training to 60 participants for Automotive Technology and Building and Property Maintenance positions.
About Salem Public Schools
Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district in Salem, Massachusetts. Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Our leaders and our teachers are all passionate about education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement with equity and social-emotional needs as the lens we view all of our work through. We respect and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community. Salem Public Schools staff serve all of our students, regardless of ability or language. Salem Public Schools enrolls approximately 4,000 students across its eleven schools.