HAMILTON — The Hamilton City School District Board of Education approved nearly $9 million in grants for the 2012-13 school year this week.

The largest of the grants was a Title I Targeted Assistance/Title I School wide grant worth more than $4.1 million.

That amount was a decrease of nearly $300,000 from last school year, according to Dr. Chad Konkle, Administrative Assistant for Building and Grounds, Business and Planning and State and Federal Programs.

“These are all standard grants, not competitive,” Konkle said. “Most of them were a decrease (from last year), which is typical when you are dealing with state funding.”

Konkle also said that the Race to the Top funding is helping to offset those decreases. Hamilton will receive $627,352 in Race to the Top funds in this the third year of the program. Hamilton’s four-year allotment in Race to the Top funds is $2 million, according to Konkle.

“We’re actually getting more (of these funds) because some schools have dropped out,” Konkle said. “(Race to the Top) is a joint effort focusing on improving instruction and teacher and administrator professional development and evaluation.”

The majority of the grants support teacher salaries, contracted services, supplies and equipment for various programs such as Early Childhood Education, Adult Basic and Literacy Education, and Alternative Education.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2852, or Skip.Weaver@coxinc.com.