ESSER Funds

Now called Pacific Crest Online Academy, this fully online school offering teacher-directed instruction was developed to serve students and families seeking a permanent remote learning option. Additionally, as the district began transitioning to in-person instruction in September 2020, families and students not yet ready to return to in-person learning were able to enroll in Continued Distance Learning, a temporary remote learning option, until ready to return to in-person learning. ESSER II funds paid for the certificated and support staff to support these learning options.

The district began transitioning to in-person instruction in September 2020, with students attending school in-person part of the week and learning remotely the other part. ESSER II funds went toward supporting staff, both in professional development and time spent engaging students in both those formats.

ESSER II funds were used to pay for materials such as workbooks, art supplies and other supplies that were distributed to students and families for remote learning activities as well online programs to help students engage in learning. Once in-person learning began, the district also purchased instructional materials necessary for COVID-19 mitigation, such as instrument covers and specialized face coverings for music courses. ESSER II funds also paid for materials used by students and staff during the district’s 2021 expanded summer learning programs.

Sanitization supplies; personal protective equipment such as masks, face shields and gloves; HVAC modifications to improve air filtration systems in all schools, mitigation materials for schools during in-person learning and services from safety consultant NV5.

Indirect expenses associated with all other efforts paid for by ESSER II funds, such as additional IT staffing costs to support student and staff technology needs, additional operational costs for schools during summer school, communications support, rental costs for storage facilities and more.

Additional technology needed to support remote and hybrid learning, such as Polycams; replacement of malfunctioning/damaged student devices and hardware and additional mobile hotspots for students.

Students are best served when they and their families can maintain relationships with the staff they have come to trust and rely upon. Additionally, the district strives to create the best circumstances to support those relationships through keeping class sizes small and supporting the unique staffing needs of each school. ESSER funds would be used to retain high quality staff at established levels across the district to limit disruptions to student experiences and ensure they get the most out of each day at school.

The district established the Mental Health Assistance Team (MHAT) in fall of 2020 and has launched initial efforts to establish a comprehensive plan that includes Threat Assessment, Suicide Prevention, Mental Health/Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), Trauma, Student Behavior, and School Climate. ESSER funds would be used to expand those efforts, including staffing costs (coordinator and social workers), crisis response plan revisions, district level flight team membership and training, district level screening team membership and training, building level screening team membership and training, social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum, and SEL professional development for staff.

Students receiving special education services have unique disabilities which provide challenges to their academic progress. As such, the pandemic has resulted in significant learning loss for many students which will have a lasting effect.

• There was a significant increase in the number of students that qualified for Extended School Year (ESY) services and anticipate this number to continue to grow as a result of the lasting impact. Additional funding will be necessary to support staffing, classroom resources specific to individual student needs, and assistive technology.
• In further efforts to address learning for students, students will require additional opportunities outside of their traditional learning day to make up for learning loss. Additional funding is needed to support staffing and instructional support to provide recovery services.
• To support staff in providing specially-designed instruction for students based on their individualized education plans and fully monitor student progress, monitoring and intervention tools are needed

Continuation of the expanded summer learning opportunities provided by the district in 2021 to address learning loss and strengthen student connections to school. Similar opportunities would be offered over the next three years using ESSER III funding, with district and school leaders making necessary modifications to meet student needs indicated by families.

District operations staff would use ESSER III funding to continue to assess, improve and maintain school HVAC systems in line with the higher air filtration standards required to mitigate for COVID-19.

Approximately 30 students enrolled in Pacific Crest Online Academy, the district’s fully online school, are identified as needing special education services. Additionally, the number of students that have not been identified that could potentially need services is also growing daily. Presence Learning, a contractor that has provide online itinerant staff addressing special education needs would meet the necessary support of Pacific Crest students.

As buildings move into a three-year recovery effort to identify and close academic achievement gaps, individual student/building needs will arise. This funding aligns with the recommendations from nationally-recognized education experts noting the importance of having “seed money” to support individual building requests to support outside-the-box efforts to support student learning. COVID-19 recovery will require staff to think innovatively in providing opportunities for students to close learning gaps. This might include extended day and extended year programs over the course of the year. Setting aside funding and communicating the opportunity will inspire principals to be innovative in their approach to meeting student needs.