Staff Focus: Annette Bartlett, Grants Administration Manager
January 14th, 2025
HCPSS’ Grants Administration Manager Annette Bartlett loves math.
The Colorado native studied math education in college and spent the first five years of her professional life teaching middle school math in Utah and California.
As much as she loved being in the classroom, she yearned to better understand the systems and structures behind it. So, she headed to law school to deepen her understanding of education policy.
In the years that followed, Bartlett worked at the D.C. Public Charter School Board and the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education—experiences that expanded her knowledge and understanding of public education.
“I became familiar with education funding streams and had the opportunity to see how funding can be leveraged to maximize student outcomes,” she explains.
Fast forward to summer 2023, when Bartlett—a new-ish Howard County resident and parent of an HCPSS elementary student—saw a job posting for a grants administrator at HCPSS.
“It seemed like a great opportunity to continue working in the world of education funding, and to do so in my own community,” she recalls.
Bartlett describes her role as supporting program staff or teams who either are seeking grant funding or have already received it.
As she explains, “I help identify grant opportunities and assist staff in applying for them; I work to ensure there is proper coordination between the various parties involved in a grant; and I help to ensure that we are good stewards of the grant funding we receive—all through the lens of HCPSS’ forthcoming strategic plan and our commitment to equity.”
“In my role, I’m always asking the question, ‘Is this the best use of grant funds to maximize outcomes for all our students?” she adds.
The portfolio of grants Bartlett oversees runs the gamut in terms of nature, size and scope. Some are competitive, while others, like Title I grants, are formula-based, where funding is predetermined based on student demographics like enrollment and eligibility for free or reduced meals (FARMs). Together, they provide approximately $75 million in supplemental funding for the school district per year.
“Grants help fund so many important programs and services that support our students and staff,” she explains, citing the new Judy Center Early Learning Hub at Stevens Forest Elementary School, BRIDGES afterschool programs and Bright Minds Classroom Innovation Projects as examples.
Grants also fund many full-time staff positions, which greatly expand HCPSS’ capacity to provide instruction, supports, resources, and services to students furthest from opportunity, including students with disabilities, multilingual learners, and students experiencing poverty or homelessness.
While Bartlett says she wouldn’t have predicted back in her teaching days that she’d wind up working in grants administration, it’s proven to be a great fit for her skills and interests.
“There’s so much that I love about my work at HCPSS. I get to work across programs, teams and offices, and help bridge the gap between those worlds and the world of grants, ensuring that we’re operating in a coordinated manner and making the greatest impact possible with the grant funds we receive.”
Learn more about the HCPSS Grants Office online.