A request to hire a part-time grant writer for the Natchez-Adams School District has become a debated topic among district officials. During last week’s regular school board meeting, a motion to hire Winnie Kaiser, community development coordinator for the Natchez-Adams Economic Development Authority, for $14.95 an hour failed for lack of a second.

During the meeting, school board member Camille Jackson questioned how many hours Kaiser would be working, how the district would handle the administration of the grants and if other district employees could write grants instead.

&uot;It’s just too open-ended for me,&uot; Jackson said.

Board member Don Marion asked similar questions about salary but may consider the idea once questions are answered.

&uot;If the need exists there and the school district can benefit from it, sure I’m going to be for it,&uot; he said.

Despite the set back, some district officials plan to bring up the matter at another board meeting. They said they think the district needs to be looking into alternative funding sources, said Superintendent Dr. Carl Davis. &uot;We would not be good stewards of the public money to not go after some grant-funding,&uot; he said.

The district would like to hire Kaiser on a part-time basis, meaning she would do grant-writing for the school district outside of the hours she works for the EDA.

Davis said other district employees have grant writing experience but do not have the time to devote a great deal of time to finding grants.

&uot;These (other employees) do this as a side job,&uot;&160;Davis said. &uot;I see Winnie as being a professional at it.&uot;

Kaiser has been writing grants for more than two years and said she helped different agencies acquire more than $1 million in grant funding during the past year.

She also has written education grants before such as $172,000 School to Career Grant implemented last year. The program prepares students to make the transition from high school.

Davis said he hoped Kaiser could help the district secure these larger grants maybe to fund after-school programs and summer programs.

The larger grants tend to be competitive so he thinks paying Kaiser a salary may pay off. &uot;If we have to do that until we get one approved I think it’s well worth it,&uot; Davis said.

Kaiser said she first learned about the position after being told Larry Little, the former assistant superintendent of secondary education, recommended her.

Kaiser said she thinks with her experience in grant writing she can be a help to the district.

&uot;The real way to get (a) grant is to an establish a relationship with the funding source,&uot; she said.

Kaiser said she thinks she has the experience, the track record and the knowledge of funding resources to help the district secure grants. She also is used to following all requirements of a grant application.

&uot;It’s very minute details that can not be overlooked because these people receive hundreds of (applications),&uot; Kaiser said.

Kaiser also said she loves her job with the EDA and wants to continue working for the agency.