Livingston Public School administrators described the district’s general plans for utilizing $1,560,000 in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds at the November 9 Board of Education meeting.The Board will be asked to approve submission of the plan to the state when it meets on Tuesday, November 23, at 7 p.m.The COVID relief funds are aimed at helping schools open safely, operate safely, and address learning loss resulting from COVID-19. The monies may be spent over the next three years, until 2024.A condition of the grant, notedBoard president Samantha Messer, is community outreach and how the plan involves stakeholders.The “general tenets of what we’ve come up with” are posted on the district website, said superintendent of schools Matthew Block, along with a link for viewers to provide feedback. The plan may be viewed at www. livingston.org.Technology and HVACThe district will receive the bulk of the funds, $941,405, from the ESSER III grant program. (ESSER stands for Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief.) This includes $451,000 for technology; $302,124 for HVAC upgrades; and $188,281 for learning.The technology funds will provide two grade levels with Chromebooks for the one-to-one initiative, said business administrator Steven Robinson, while the HVAC funds will be used to take care of things that are near the end of their life cycle, including spaces at Burnet Hill School, Mt. Pleasant Middle School, Livingston High School.Robinson also recommended using the funds for coil cleaning of the district’s 85 rooftop HVAC units.These items are considered to be one-time projects.Learning AccelerationThe district will also receive a $496,713 grant for accelerated learning, coaching and educator support, and three smaller grants: $40,000 for summer learning and enrichment activities; $40,000 for beyond school day activities; and $45,000 for mental health support staffing.The learning acceleration grants focus on different levels for students who are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, said assistant superintendent Lisa Steiger, including low income students, English language learners, students with disabilities, and those of racial and ethnic minority status.The district is looking to provide services directly to students for academic and mental health skills, she said, and to provide resources for educators to meet both the academic and social emotional learning needs of students.Some funds will be used for technology devices and subscriptions; technology coaches; instructional and assessment tools; professional development; supplemental learning supports, interventions during and outside of the regular school day; and parent resources.The grants “allow us to provide outside of school time ...
