Several Cullman County schools received “community service grants” from the state Friday.

Checks ranging from $500 to several thousand dollars were presented to about 10 county schools by state Sen. Zeb Little, D-Cullman, Friday. Schools applied for the grants through Little’s office.

The community service grants, a traditional practice of the state Legislature, were recently ruled unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court. The court said the grants were in violation of the separation of powers doctrine because of the way the Legislature distributes them.

In the past, requests for local needs came to the offices of legislators representing the area. Legislators then forwarded the requests to a committee of legislators that decided which grants to approve.

The Supreme Court said the Legislature was not merely approving budgetary items but spending money, a function reserved for the executive branch of government.

While that did not affect the grants Little distributed Friday, Little said legislators were seeking to amend the practice to abide by the ruling, by establishing a committee of executive branch officials to approve the grants.

The Cullman County Board of Education, Superintendent Nancy Horton and principals and administrators from the recipient schools assembled Friday to receive their checks from the state. School officials said the grants would be used for items like computers, books or capital improvements, projects schools did not have the money to fund themselves.

“So many of the dollars that come through here (the school system) are earmarked and you’re not able to spend them how you want,” Little said.