The Greenwood Leflore Consolidated School District will hold a pair of virtual meetings Monday to receive public input regarding ways the district might use the latest round of money it has been allocated from the federal government.
After the American Rescue Plan — the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package — was signed into law earlier this year, administrators learned that the district is scheduled to get $35.4 million from the third phase of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER).
That comes on top of two earlier stimulus packages from Washington that together allocated $19.2 million to the Greenwood Leflore district.
The district has been appropriated $3.5 million from the first phase of ESSER funding, a part of last March’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, and $15.7 million from the second phase of ESSER funding, a part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, passed into law last December.
The $3.5 million from the first phase of ESSER funding allowed the school district to pay for its online learning management system, Canvas, as well as personal-protective equipment and other COVID-19 related supplies, such as disinfectant wipes and temperature check scanners.
The $15.7 million from the second phase of ESSER funding will allow the district to fund school building renovations, such as upgrading heating and air conditioning systems and replacing carpet flooring with tile. It also can be used to fund virtual therapy and to purchase internet hotspots.
The third phase of ESSER funding is tailored to help schools across the country provide in-person instruction safely during the pandemic.
Although the school district has been appropriated its third phase of ESSER funding, it has not yet received the money because it is in the process of filling out the application, Dr. Mary Brown, the superintendent, said in an email.
This round of money — $35.4 million — “can be used to address learning losses that have been brought on due to COVID and to develop strategies and implement public health protocols in line with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on reopening and operating schools to effectively maintain the health and safety of students, educators, and other staff,” Brown said.
Monday’s meetings will be held at 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
At the meetings, Brown said, the district’s administrators will provide information regarding the third phase of ESSER funding. Members of the public will be allowed to ask questions or offer input through the chat feature.
The link for the meetings, which has yet to be released, will be made available on the district’s Facebook page, bit.ly/3gDMhgH, as well as the district’s website, glcsd.org.
- Contact Gerard Edic at 581-7239 or gedic@gwcommonwealth.com.
