Virginia Department of Education

School Division/LEA ARP ESSER Spending Plan

 

Introduction

 

On October 24, 2022, Governor Glenn Youngkin and state education leaders presented to the public a summary of the 2022 National Assessment of Education Progress data for Virginia. The data indicate that Virginia had the most significant declines in reading and mathematics in the nation. Our Commitment to Virginia’s Children is a seven step action plan to reverse the downward path of declining achievement and ensure that all children in Virginia have the tools and support structure to get back on track.

 

In Action Seven of the action plan, Governor Youngkin challenges school divisions to spend all of their remaining Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds on proven efforts to recover learning like: supplementing learning through instruction before school, after school, on weekends, and in the summer; providing direct support to families to access tutoring; extending the school year; and rewarding those teachers and schools that make the greatest impact on student learning with performance bonuses. Action Seven also directs the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to require all school divisions to reengage the public in consultation and to update their American Rescue Plan (ARP) ESSER spending plans, as initially required by federal regulation, by December 31, 2022.

 

To meet the requirement to update the ARP ESSER spending plan, each school division/Local Educational Agency (LEA) must complete all sections of this template. The completed template must be made publicly available on the LEA website by December 31, 2022. The Office of Federal Pandemic Relief Programs will monitor the public posting of updated plans on LEA websites and the alignment of updated plans with LEAs’ applications for ARP ESSER funds. Questions about this template should be directed to vdoefederalrelief@doe.virginia.gov.    

 

Section 1: General Information

 

A.     School Division/LEA Name      Winchester Public Schools

B.      Division Number                      132

C.      Contact Name                          Holly McDonald

D.      Contact Phone #                       (540) 665-4253 ext 13133

       E.      Amount of ARP ESSER funding allocated to LEA:  $8,188,761.53

 

Section 2: Transparency and Accessibility

 

A.     LEA webpage where plan is posted (provide URL): https://www.wps.k12.va.us/Page/13222 

 

B.      Describe how the plan is, to the extent practicable, written in a language that parents can understand, or if not practicable, will be orally translated for parents with limited English proficiency

 

Our website will auto translate for the plan for parents or users.

 

C.      Describe how the plan will be provided upon request in an alternative accessible format to a parent who is an individual with a disability

 

The plan posted on the website meets the ADA standards.  If additional accessible format is needed, WPS will work to provide the appropriate format upon request.

 

Section 3: Opportunity for Public Comment

 

1. Describe how the LEA provided the public the opportunity to provide input on the updated ARP ESSER spending plan since initial submission in August 2021, with emphasis on the 2022-2023 school year

 

Beginning in August of 2021, the Winchester Public Schools have had a live feedback forum on our website to solicit public input. In addition, every six months, we have presented an updated plan to our School Board in a public meeting. The agenda is posted prior to the meeting and there is a public comment portion allocated each meeting for live, public comment. Finally, we have used push notifications to send the feedback link directly to families. 

 

2. Describe how the LEA took public input since August 2021into account

 

Beginning in August of 2021, the Winchester Public Schools have had a live feedback forum on our website to solicit public input. In addition, every six months, we have presented an updated plan to our School Board in a public meeting. The agenda is posted prior to the meeting and there is a public comment portion allocated each meeting for live, public comment. Finally, we have used push notifications to send the feedback link directly to families

 

Section 4: Consultation with Stakeholders

Describe how the LEA consulted with each stakeholder group below. If a stakeholder group is not present in the LEA, indicate Not Applicable in the description of consultation conducted. If the LEA conducted a survey as a consultation method, provide a summary of the survey results as an Appendix to this spending plan.

 

A.     Students

Description of consultation conducted: Student Board representatives were consulted in each of the Board presentations. 

Uses consulted on: Entire ESSER budget plan

Feedback received: Supportive

 

B.      Families

Description of consultation conducted: Families received a push notification that included a feedback link on our website to give commentary. In addition, families were able to make public comments at monthly Board meetings.

Uses consulted on:  Entire ESSER plan

Feedback received : None

 

C.      School and district administrators including special education administrators

Description of consultation conducted: Principals and district administrators gave input to the plan through monthly principal meetings, weekly Cabinet meetings and monthly instructional meetings.

Uses consulted on: Entire ESSER budget plan

Feedback received: Supportive

 

D.     Teachers, principals, school leaders, other educators, school staff, and their unions

Description of consultation conducted: Monthly principal meetings and quarterly Teacher Advisory meetings

Uses consulted on: Entire ESSER budget plan

Feedback received: Supportive

 

E.      Tribes, if applicable

Description of consultation conducted: N/A

Uses consulted on: N/A

Feedback received: N/A

 

F.      Civil rights organizations, including disability rights organizations

Description of consultation conducted: December 2022 meeting with the NAACP.

Uses consulted on: Entire ESSER budget plan

Feedback received: Supportive

 

G.     Stakeholders representing the interests of children with disabilities, English learners, children experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, migratory students, children who are incarcerated, and other underserved services

Description of consultation conducted: None

Uses consulted on: None

Feedback received: N/A

 

H.     Community based organizations, including partnerships to promote access to before and after-school programming

Description of consultation conducted: October meeting with area after school programming entities

Uses consulted on: After school programming

Feedback received: Supportive

 

I.        Early childhood education providers and families, including partnerships to ensure access to and continuity of care for families with children of different ages, particularly as they transition to school

Description of consultation conducted:  Early Childhood Coordinator

Uses consulted on: Entire ESSER budget plan

Feedback received: Supportive

 

Section 5: Addressing Learning Loss (recommended to be 100% of an LEA’s remaining allocation and must be at least 20% of an LEA’s allocation per federal statute)

 

Section 2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act requires each LEA to use at least twenty percent of its formula funds to address the academic impact of lost instructional time (learning loss) through the implementation of evidence-based interventions. Governor’s Challenge: in Action Seven of Our Commitment to Virginia’s Children, Governor Youngkin challenges LEAs to spend all of their remaining Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds on proven efforts to recover learning, such as: supplementing learning through instruction before school, after school, on weekends, and in the summer; providing direct support to families to access tutoring; extending the school year; and rewarding those teachers and schools that make the greatest impact on student learning with performance bonuses.

 

1. Describe how the LEA identified learning loss, including among student groups most likely to have experienced the impact of lost instructional time such as students from low-income families, students of color, English learners, children with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, and migratory students:

• All of our students are continually assessed on their learning. We use division and state assessments to measure student learning. Data is then reviewed to tier students in an effort to provide individualized interventions based on student needs. Data is disaggregated by subgroups and thoroughly reviewed by the school leaders, division leaders, and MTSS staff to determine the best approaches to meeting the needs of students who show significant gaps in learning. All data incorporates additional identification for students receiving special services or participating in specific programs to assist in further determining best approaches to closing learning gaps in reading, math, and core content areas. 

• Concerns related to students suspected of having a disability follow division Child Find procedures and regulatory requirements. Ongoing Child Find activities are conducted within schools and the greater Winchester community. School-based Child Study teams collaborate with families, school professionals, and other teams to review student data, progress monitoring, and any concerns related to the presence of a disability. 

• Students with disabilities are served based upon their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Within this plan, students are offered a continuum of services which include services in the general and special education settings, relative to student needs based upon the impact of the student’s disability. In addition to school services, IEP’s address the need for Extended School Year services, which is reviewed annually, at minimum, for each student. For eligible secondary students, students received support in extended learning services for the 2021-2022 school year through the Post-secondary Special Education Support Application process. 

 

 

2. Provide a detailed description of how the LEA used or will use the funds it reserves to implement evidence-based interventions to address learning loss:

 

The division is implementing Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) to provide interventions and support to students. Funds include supporting an MTSS Coach, interventionists at each school, and additional instructional resources to support tiered interventions. Interventions are measured in Performance Matters and are chosen by our instructional supervisors along with MTSS teams to determine the most appropriate interventions based on student data. In addition, creative scheduling to maximize instructional time in core content classes is being explored.

 

3. Describe how the LEA produces evidence of the effectiveness of evidence-based learning loss interventions employed:

 

Each school has regularly scheduled MTSS meetings to determine the effectiveness of each Tier 2 or Tier 3 intervention of each student. Data is housed in our Performance Matters/Student Information System platform to display student growth and intervention activities. Interventions are regularly assessed and teams determine student success. They make appropriate adjustments when needed based on student performance.

 

4. Amount of ARP ESSER funds to address learning loss:  ESSER  3: $3,588,797 or 43.83%

 

Section 6: Other Uses of Funds

 

Section 2001(e)(2) of the ARP Act permits LEAs to use the ARP ESSER III funds not reserved to address learning loss to address needs arising from or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Generally, allowable ESSER activities must meet the guidelines below.

• The use of funds must be intended to prevent, prepare for, or respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, including its impact on the social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs of students;
• The use of funds must fall under one of the authorized uses of ESSER funds; and
• The use of funds must be permissible under the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance, 2 CFR Part 200). In particular, the use of funds must be deemed necessary and reasonable for the performance of the ESSER award.

 

1. Describe how the LEA used or will use funds to support teacher and staff retention and recruitment strategies

 

2. 1. Total number of new staff hired with ARP ESSER funds: 14 position

 

3. 2. Plan to retain staff hired with ARP ESSER funds after September 30, 2024:

 

During the FY25 budget process, the school division will analyze positions and determine which positions can be maintained through local budget expansion and which positions will be eliminated. Individual staff members will be able to transition into a similar teaching or other position within the school division through natural attrition. During the FY25 budget process, the school division will analyze positions and determine which positions can be maintained through local budget expansion and which positions will be eliminated. Individual staff members will be able to transition into a similar teaching or other position within the school division through natural attrition.

 

4. Describe the extent to which the LEA used or will use ARP ESSER funds to implement prevention and mitigation strategies in order to continuously and safely operate schools for in-person learning:

 

ESSR funds were used to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) to provide barriers between persons, increase the number of cleaning rituals to reduce the spread of viral particulates, and to purchase equipment to kill viruses in classrooms, cafeterias, and other crowded spaces.  

 

The pandemic has significantly impacted the mental health of children. As a result, mental health services, to include individual and group therapy, have been secured. These services will be provided to students with a need for individualized mental, behavior, or emotional support. 

Additionally, funds were used to purchase social emotional learning (SEL) curriculum to help students, staff, and families develop emotional intelligence skills for long-term well being. Students access this curriculum for a minimum of forty five minutes per week.

 

5. If the LEA used or will use ARP ESSER funds for HVAC, renovation, or other capital projects, describe each project, including whether the LEAs has requested and received approval for the project:

 

The school district is using approximately $6.5 million of ESSR funds to replace the HVAC system at Frederick Douglass Elementary School (FDES). This funds for this project will be used to pay for  design costs, equipment, labor, materials and supplies, and the hiring of a general contractor to oversee the project. The HVAC system at FDES does not meet current ASHRAE standards for fresh air and this project will redesign the system to increase fresh air intake overall and push it into spaces it wasn’t before. The new system, as designed, will exceed ASHRAE standards by approximately 30%. The new design will also better regulate temperatures in the building, including in places where in the past, there was no regulation. 

 

In addition to HVAC equipment replacement at FDES, the division is planning to use an additional $542,000 to replace rooftop HVAC units at our Daniel Morgan Campus to improve fresh air flow into our building at that location.

 

 

6. If the LEA used or will use ARP ESSER funds for uses other than those listed above, describe below:

 

The pandemic exacerbated the issue of students regularly missing school. A strategic, community-wide focus on the importance of attending school has been launched. This includes frequent communication and conferencing with students and families. Various school-wide and division-wide attendance incentives have been positively embraced by students. The consistent communication with families by our three family liaisons is a crucial part of increasing the awareness of attendance problems and offering support to families.

 

7. Amount of ARP ESSER funds for the uses above (A. through D.):

 

Staff Retention and Support: $4,024,629.55

Mitigation Support for Continuation of Operations: $126,695.00

HVAC and Roof Replacement: $3,648,570.41

Other Expenses that match the ESSER LEA needs: $ 388,866.57