Ouachita School District

Ouachita School District, a non-profit public school district in Donaldson, Arkansas, receives federal education and nutrition grants as a prime recipient from the Department of Education and the Department of Agriculture, and operates as a sub-recipient on state-pass-through education grants from the Arkansas Department of Education. The district does not hold federal prime contracts; its federal footprint is entirely grant-based, spanning K–12 instruction, special education, school nutrition, and teacher quality programs.

The district's grant activity concentrates on two funding sources. The Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education accounts for 29 awards (69% of all awards), anchored by five consecutive annual allocations under the Small, Rural School Achievement Program (formula grants awarded in July 2022 through July 2026, with ultimate completion dates ranging from September 2023 through September 2027). As a sub-recipient on Arkansas Department of Education pass-throughs, Ouachita School District receives allocations under Title I (improving student achievement and teacher quality), Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE), special education services (IDEA Parts B and C), and early childhood special education for children ages three to five with disabilities. The Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service accounts for nine awards tied to the federal Child Nutrition Program, funding breakfast, lunch, and after-school snack meal preparation and service according to federal nutrition standards. The Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services accounts for four awards supporting IDEA-eligible students.

Recent annual award counts have ranged between four and ten awards per year from 2022 through 2025, with one award recorded in 2026 (the Small, Rural School Achievement Program allocation dated July 1, 2026). Combined dollars obligated across all 42 awards total $1.8 million. Only one award reaches ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, presenting minimal recompete exposure in that window. The district operates as a sub-recipient on 55% of its federal awards, receiving pass-through funding from the Arkansas Department of Education for Title I, SSAE, special education, and early childhood special education services. Ouachita School District's federal role is typical of a rural public school district: it administers federally funded programs in compliance with federal nutrition standards, meal counting and claiming regulations, IDEA requirements, and Title I academic-improvement mandates, rather than serving as a contractor or vendor to federal agencies.