Board discusses ESSER funding and preschool hiring

SWAN VALLEY – The Swan Valley School Board discussed how to spend their Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds and possibly changing the preschool program into a transitional kindergarten at their March 8 meeting.

Principal Aaron Morgenstern said they had 20 responses to a survey regarding how to prioritize the school’s ESSER funding. Ten of the respondents identified themselves as “Parent” and nine identified as a “Community Member” while one was “Staff.”

The survey respondents were asked to prioritize three categories. They favored, by a small margin, resources and technology to help improve the safety of the school. The second priority was building improvements to improve environmental safety including HVAC units, new insulation, bathroom updates and a new boiler. The third and lowest priority was for technology equipment and access to technology.

Morgenstern said that staff suggested some of the funds could be put toward resources such as social, emotional learning, paraprofessionals and counselors that would allow the teachers to focus on academics. He said currently they have a special education teacher twice a month, a psychologist once a month and a counselor that tries to make it once a month but has been only coming every other month.

“Some of those gaps in kinds of specialty people that might allow us to better service our students and our staff here in the building on a more frequent basis might be a thing to consider with some of those funds,” said Morgenstern.

These extra resources would help students with things including the “learning loss” they suffered as a result of missing classroom time due to COVID-19.

District Clerk Heather Mincey clarified that some of the ESSER funding is already specified for learning loss. She said the funds the Board needs to decide how to spend is the long-term use portion that the state is saying should be used for things like infrastructure.

Morgenstern was instructed to get a quote for replacing the boiler for the Board to consider. No other infrastructure was discussed or decisions made.

The Board discussed replacing the preschool program with a transitional kindergarten. The transitional kindergarten would require a certified teacher and allows the school to receive funding from the state based on how many students are enrolled. Mincey said that state funding would cover part of the staff costs but not all.

ESSER funds are available to hire a certified teacher but those funds will run out in a couple of years. The school would have to come up with the difference if it wanted to maintain the position.

In the past, the school has had a hard time finding staff and the lack of housing in the area makes it worst. The school has also helped uncertified staff become certified to fill its needs and could consider that option again.

The Board voted to post both paraprofessional and certified teaching positions. If they get applicants with certifications then they can consider doing the transitional kindergarten. If the only applicants are paraprofessionals then the Board can see if they would like to become certified for transitional kindergarten or keep the current preschool program running with a paraprofessional.

In other business, the Board hired Judd Binley as Swan Valley’s track coach and passed a Resolution of Intent to Impose an Increase in Levies for transportation, building reserve and tuition fund. See page 19 for the full Resolution.

The next Board meeting is scheduled for April 12 at 7 p.m.