MoCo Schools Give CARES Overview

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During the called Montgomery County School Board meeting on Tuesday, February 8, Federal Programs Director Julie Harrelson presented the Board with an overview of funding received through CARES grants.

Harrelson began her presentation by explaining that although all the money received throughout the health pandemic to aid in difficulties caused by COVID-19 is referred to as “CARES,” that is not the actual name of all three grants. The funding is actually three staggered pieces of legislation from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund.

The first piece of legislation that granted funding was the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), which gave schools a total of $13.5 billion to use between March 13, 2020, and September 30, 2021, for additional costs to schools for nurses, and to offset cuts by providing Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) grants. Following this act, an additional $54.3 billion was given to schools through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRSSA ACT), which was dispersed in the same time frame and is available for usage to offset payroll costs for three months until September 30, 2022.

Harrelson explained that through her research, she had found staggering needs for extra support from both the student and district aspects. According to district survey data from March 2020 to September 2021, the need for mental health support had an 84% increase among all students, while Literacy and Numeracy Levels for first and second graders decreased by 79%, and school readiness decreased by 67% in kindergarteners.

This data also showed that school districts were in urgent need of extra funding to help with the cost of obtaining more qualified teachers and other non-teaching staff; to make up for state cuts and shortfalls; and for plan development.

Thus, the third ESSER legislation, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP Act), has devoted $122.7 billion to schools in an attempt to fill these needs. This funding is available until September 30, 2023, and is to be used for learning loss, mental health, supplemental and hazard pay, training, and facility needs caused by COVID. Additionally, the ARP Act states that 20% of the received funding must be spent on learning lost in each district. The funding from each piece of legislation was dispersed to districts based on the Title I formula. Montgomery County Schools received a total of $4,982,536 from the ESSER grants, $1,617,121.57 of which has already been spent.

How CARES Funding Was Used

The entirety of the CARES funding from the first installment of ESSER has been spent and closed out by the school system. The money was used as follows: $15,000 for supplies and equipment for school nurses, $544 for the salary of the agriculture extended day teachers, $231 for the salary of the agriculture extended year teachers, $487 to the CTAE extended day teachers, $715 for CTAE supervision, and $906 for CTAE youth apprenticeship. In total, $17,883 was allocated and spent through CARES.

The second installment of ESSER grants, CRRSA, has been partially closed out and will be fully closed out in September 2022. A total of $134,000 has been given as bonuses to all faculty and staff, thus closing out that portion of the grant. The funding gave $1,487,510 to offset operational and payroll costs for three months, $1,465,238.57, has already been spent and $22,271.43 will be spent by September. “We have been able to keep this money in our general fund, which has helped our financial status remain in very good standing,” Harrelson explained.

The ARP Act is the largest installment of funds to the district, as $3,343.143 has been received to use for learning loss, technology, cleaning supplies, developing plans for back to school, improving air quality, upgrades necessary for CDC compliance, sanitation, planning for long-term closures, remedial summer learning, contracting for instruction and mental health services, elective summer programs, and tutoring.

Grant Proposal

Harrelson informed the Board that she and Superintendent Stan Rentz had drafted a proposal of the ways the funds may be used in the form of a grant proposal to be reviewed by the state. “We tried to think of anything and everything we could that would best help our schools,” she told Board members. The pair’s grant proposal included repair of any leaks in the buildings, an afterschool program, continued from page

summer school, and even a program to track the benefits and usage of curriculum aids for teachers, along with many other things.

Rentz spoke on the grants and their potential to provide to the school. “I think it is a rare blessing to not only receive this amount of money, but to be able to pour it back into our school system,” he emphasized.

With the large amount of funds remaining from ESSER, Harrelson proposed that money be allocated to the school system staff for their hard work during the pandemic. “Everyone has really stepped up and worked diligently in this difficult time,” she said. “With the school receiving this large amount of money, I think it is more than appropriate that we give some to our employees.”

According to Harrelson, to provide all 180 staff members with a supplemental pay of $3,000 and FICA for FY22 and FY23 would cost a total of $548,337, which would leave the remaining ESSER III funds amounting to $2,794,806. “To see this amount in comparison to the total received is incredible. It truly is like a drop in the bucket for an important cause,” she emphasized.

Board members thanked Harrelson for her clarification regarding the government funding, and reassured they will consider the decision.

Other Business

Five Montgomery County staff members will receive extra compensation for their work with contract tracing during the pandemic. Coordinator Patricia Osting will receive $3,000 for her work with contract tracing for COVID throughout the entire school system, while Montgomery County Elementary School Secretary Latoya Snead will be given $2,000 for her work in contract tracing in the elementary school. Montgomery County Middle and High School Nurse Sheila Clark will receive $2,000 for her work during both semesters of the school year. Former Montgomery County Elementary School Interim Nurse Whitney Connell, who served students last semester, and current Montgomery County Elementary School Nurse Beth Williamson will each receive $1,000 compensation for their work with the students for a single semester. These payments will be issued as a one-time payout, which will not be subject to Teacher Retirement System payment. The funding for this compensation comes from the money received from the South Central Health District from a previous agreement made with the school to ensure proper protocol during the pandemic.

The school rescinded the decision to approve a bid from Dublin Signs for a new LED sign for the elementary school because of an issue with the approved pricing. Due to a complication regarding paperwork, the Board passed a bid that did not include the price of installation and labor, making it necessary for the correct amount to be voted upon. The Board unanimously agreed to contract Dublin Signs for the task, which will cost $33,112.67 total.

Board members also unanimously passed a motion to pay $2,000 for new track lines to be added for the recently developed 4×200 m and 4×800 m races. The facility will host sectionals in the spring, which requires these changes to be made.

Michael Nobles was hired as a custodian and began his new position on Thursday, while Montgomery County Elementary School Special Education Teacher Margaret Higginbotham’s resignation was accepted by the Board. Higginbotham will complete the school year before her resignation is effective.

The next work session for the BOE will be Wednesday, February 23, at 5 p.m., while the regular February meeting of the Board will occur Monday, February 28 at 6 p.m.