LEWISTON — The Lewiston School Committee on Monday approved money awarded about a week ago for a new initiative to help middle school students meet educational requirements to be successful in high school.

The district received a $40,000 grant to develop learning academies, in which struggling students will be able to focus a capstone project on a particular topic that interests them for about one trimester, Superintendent Jake Langlais said. The experience will help students meet educational standards necessary for high school.

The district can start 25 students in the program at the beginning of the school year but hopes to have 75 students participate in the program throughout the entire year, he said.

The district developed small-scale learning academies for students over the summer and found some successes, Langlais said. Middle school education is critical in helping students succeed in high school.

Langlais hopes the program will give struggling students an opportunity to take a new approach to school that will “grab them” and “initiate them.”

The grant will only finance the program for this year but there is nothing within the grant requiring the district to continue the program beyond this school year, Langlais said. At this time, it is unclear exactly how the program might be funded after this year — if the district continues it.

In other business, the district will use an alternative learning day for middle school students to allow sixth graders to attend their step-up day without crowds of students present.

Committee members who spoke about the idea were in favor of it and expressed interest in doing something similar for eighth graders before going into high school. Staff have already started having discussions about, Langlais said.

Langlais also mentioned there are teaching and educational technician positions vacant. At one point there were around 40 teaching positions and 60 educational technician positions to be filled. He could not give committee members exact figures on how many remain vacant.

Langlais also spoke about the roughly 200 students missing required vaccinations. Those students will not be allowed to enroll in the school unless they are vaccinated.

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