Lawrence Public Schools have received a $150,000 grant to support the transition of Cordley School into a site serving students who speak English as a second language.

The Comprehensive School Re-form Grant comes from the State Department of Education.

The grant project is a collaboration of Cordley and Kansas University. The grant will fund some courses for Cordley teachers. It also pays for the school to add a part-time learning specialist and to boost some current positions to full-time.

Hillcrest is the district’s only ESL site. Cordley will open a new ESL program in 2006.