The status of post 12-14 grants have been reviewed by Newtown officials to see what funds remain and can be applied to recovery efforts. 

First Selectman Pat Llodra said in a news release that March 31st is the end of a Department of Justice funded Recovery & Resiliency initiative.  The team of six professionals have been helping Newtown with community outreach and support as the town learns how grief impacts individuals and families.  The team has helped the community to navigate insurance and treatment options, among other services.  Llodra said the need for support continues and the town is committed to an ongoing recovery program. 

Two positions will be paid for, in part, through grant funding from Praxair and the Newtown Sandy Hook Community Foundation.  A care navigator and a director of social work-mental health programming will be hired.  Llodra says the new personnel will work with current staff members on the transition to ensure there are no gaps in service to the community.

On the school side, the federal School Emergency Response to Violence grant will run out by next March.  The funding has been bolstered by grants from Newtown Youth & Family Services and Education Connection.  The SERV grant was used to hire personnel and some of those positions will transition out of Sandy Hook School with the students moving up to Reed Intermediate School.  One grant to the schools, which expires at the end of this fiscal year, has not been spent down.  The district will be allowed though to use that money in the next fiscal year.

Llodra says this coming budget year is the first year that Newtown will fully carry the cost of School Security Officers.  Up to this year, the SSOs were partially funded by a Department of Justice grant, but it's been completely exhausted.