The documents hyperlinked below outline the district’s planned use of ARP ESSER funds:
Return to In-Person District Plan
Full text included in the slides linked above outlining our district’s return to in-person learning plan is provided below.
Virginia Department of Education Superintendent’s Memo #260-22: CPS ARP ESSER Spending Plan (Action Seven)
ESSER III Uses slides (updated December 21, 2022)
ESSER III Uses Document Archive:
May 9, 2022: ESSER III Uses document
October 22, 2021: ESSER III Uses document
August 26, 2021: ESSER III Uses document
Return to In-Person District Plan
Introduction:
ARPA ESSER III funds are provided to
- Help sustain the safe operation of schools
- Address the impacts of COVID-19 on students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs
Total allocation to CPS $51,134,021.38
- Requires $10,226,804.27 to be spent on learning loss
- See ESSER III Division Uses Plan at https://cpschools.com/back-to-school/
- For additional information about the return to in-person learning should be addressed to:
Maintaining Health and Safety:
Chesapeake Public Schools is committed to the health and safety of our students and staff
- Health and Safety Protocols can be found in our district Student Handbook
Mitigation strategies in place include-
- Daily cleaning and sanitizing of all facilities
- Sanitizing stations throughout all facilities
- Signage throughout facilities about proper handwashing, respiratory etiquette, and physical distancing
Partnership with the Chesapeake Health Department and their participation in our district School Health Advisory Board.
Contingency plans developed to determine health and safety measures to address potential outbreaks within individual schools, grade levels, and classrooms.
HVAC mitigations
- Maximizing exterior air flow have been in place since March 2020
- Filter changes every 90 per CDC guidelines
- Information on HVAC FAQ’s can be found on our website at https://cpschools.com/return-to-school-plan/frequently-asked-questions-hvac/
Continuity of Services
CPS continually reviews and revises, as necessary, our continuity of services plan during quarantine/isolation to address student academic needs and student and staff social, emotional, mental health and other needs.
- Student continuity of learning information can be found on our website at: https://cpschools.com/teaching-learning/continuity-of-learning-during-isolation/
Supports in place to address students’ academic, social, emotional, mental health and other needs
- Training and professional development for staff on SEL
- Additional tutoring services for all students, including those on or returning from isolation
- School counselors have contact with students on isolation and collaborate with teachers
- Virtual student support sessions, before, during, or after school hours
- Instructional support materials and lesson plans available to all student and parents in the learning management system
- Software and equipment purchased for psychologist, social workers and behavioral health staff to meet with students in a secure and private manner
- Additional school counselors in elementary schools
Supports in place to address staff social, emotional, mental health and other needs
- Flu shot clinics, wellness checks and wellness services
- Telehealth coverage on the health insurance plan
- Professional development for blended learning strategies
- Additional equipment (cameras, microphones, etc.) to assist with virtual teaching
- Expansion of employee wellbeing offerings at CPS’ employee clinics
- Additional part-time staff to assist with absences, in-classroom assistance, before and after school student monitoring, cafeteria monitoring
Public Comment
The public may comment and provide feedback on the district plan in a variety of ways-
- Hearing of Citizens at each school board meeting
- Each School Board meeting has a “Hearing of Citizens” section where the public is provided an opportunity to address the board about various topics – those included on the agenda for the evening as well as topics not included on the agenda. Visit https://cpschools.com/school-board/connect-with-the-school-board/ for more information.
- The “Let’s Talk” contact form at https://www.k12insight.com/Lets-Talk/embed.aspx?k=WN6Z4DLT
- Quick Tip is a web-based platform that students and their families can use to report concerns.
- Focus Groups. The Department of Planning, Policy & Research regularly facilitates stakeholder focus groups as part of our district’s continuous improvement planning process. Participation in focus groups are by application. A cross-section of participants will be selected to ensure diverse representation from all boroughs, school levels, and demographic groups.
- The Department of Planning, Policy & Research regularly conducts surveys open to all stakeholders.
- Updates to information on the website related to classroom learning are available the day after the meeting
Periodic Review and Revision
ARPA ESSER III requires that the plan be reviewed and updated at least every six months. Plan revisions will address-
- Updated CDC guidance, if applicable
- Changes to operations based upon local conditions
Revisions to the plan will be provided to-
- School Board via board meeting and/or weekly board communications
- CPS Board meeting agendas are available on BoardDocs at https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/cpsva/Board.nsf/Public
- The schedule of meetings can be found online at https://cpschools.com/calendar/action~month/request_format~json/cat_ids~12/
- Employees and parents via weekly emails
- The general public via update on the division website at https://cpschools.com/back-to-school/
Making Plans Available to Public
CPS maintains a webpage which is updated frequently regarding various topics related to return to in-person learning:
- https://cpschools.com/back-to-school/
Health and safety protocols, including information on mitigation strategies, vaccinations:
CPS School Health Advisory Board (SHAB) is actively involved in providing support to the division during the pandemic:
- Information about the purpose, membership and minutes from the meetings can be found at https://cpschools.com/student-support-services/health-services/school-health-advisory-board/
The district also distributes separate regular emails
- “Family Updates” (emails to parents) are distributed bi-monthly on Thursdays
- “Peake Priorities: Strategic Update for Employees” are sent weekly on Tuesdays
ESSER III Uses
Introduction
The ARPA ESSER III award amount for Chesapeake Public Schools is $51,134,021.38. These funds are available through September 30, 2024. ARPA ESSER III allocation is based upon Title I allocations.
ARPA requires a minimum of 20% of the award amount to be used to address academic impact of lost instructional time (“learning loss”).
- Learning loss required spending for CPS: $10,226,804.27
- Must be evidenced-based interventions – i.e. tutoring, accelerated learning, summer learning, summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive after-school programs, etc.
- Must address student social, emotional, and mental health and academic needs
- Must address “disproportionate impact ….on major racial and ethnic groups, economically disadvantaged students, children with disabilities, English learners, migratory students, students experiencing homelessness, and children and youth in foster care”
ARPA requires publication of continuity plan and safe in-person learning be provided within 30 days of receiving allocation
- First allocation of $34M – April 30, 2021
- FY 21/22 return to school information provided during the Empower 2025 Strategic Updates at School Board meetings
- First 2021/2022 return-to-school update provided on May 27, 2021
- Updates provided August 2021, October 2021, May 2022, and December 2022
ARPA requires review and revision, if necessary, of return to school plan no less than every six(6) months
- Requires public input to determine if revisions are necessary
- Public comment regarding plan is available at each school board meeting
- Public can provide comments/suggestions via “Let’s Talk”
- Input requested at various stakeholder meetings with principals, students, teachers, and other staff throughout the year
Generally, most permissible uses under all federal programs
- ESEA, IDEA, Perkins, ABE, Impact Aid
- Must have specific tie to the pandemic readiness or responsiveness
- Any mitigation efforts such as additional PPE, equipment, HVAC systems, air filtration, testing, etc.
- Construction/renovations
- Projects that promote physical distancing or safe in-person instruction
- Must have prior written approval from the USDOE or the state
- Must comply with Davis Bacon Act
Prevention and Mitigation Strategies
The district is required by state to comply with CDC guidelines for safe in-person learning. Our layered mitigation plan includes:
- Masking optional while being transported on a school bus and within the school building (state mask mandate repealed January 2022, Federal masking mandate (buses) lifted April 2022.
- Additional part-time staff in schools to assist with
- Staff absences
- Monitoring of students in congregate settings such as cafeterias
- Assist with drop-off and pick up of students on bus ramps
- Facilities are available for use by the public on a case-by-case basis (update: February 2022)
- Field trips permitted on a case-by-case basis (update: February 2022)
- Cleaning supplies for sanitizing of facilities
Addressing Unfinished Learning
The district will assess students’ level of academic performance via SOL test scores and various other assessment methods. The district will conduct a review of actual versus expected performance and identify specific interventions designed to engage students and close performance gaps. Supports provided/offered include:
- Tutoring, during the school day and before and after school
- Summer school for all interested students with no fee for remediation in FY 20/21 and FY 21/22
- Exploratory offerings during summer in the afternoon after morning remediation session offered free of charge from the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club in FY 20/21
- Additional funding for schools to use for materials and supplies, manipulatives, and other resources needed to assist students
- Literacy coaches to train and assist staff with reading instruction
- Phonemic awareness kits for use by students
- Additional software licenses for reading, writing, mathematics
- Replacement of Pre-K curriculum
Other Uses of Funds
- Hotspots for student without available home internet
- Virtual Virginia tuition for students
- Chromebooks for additional instructional support positions not previously funded (teacher assistants, etc.)
- Interactive panels to replace units currently installed
- Expand interactive panels to additional classrooms
- Replacement/upgrade of HVAC systems in several schools to address air filtration
- Funding for replacement of existing portable classrooms
- Provide space for support staff providing services to students (psychologists, social workers, etc.)
Addressing Students’ Academic, Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Needs
- Responsive classroom training for elementary and middle school teachers
- Universal screener to assist with identifying social, emotional and mental health needs of students in order to assist with identifying appropriate interventions and actions by district personnel
Consultation with Stakeholders and Opportunity for Public Comment
- ARPA ESSER III requires public input on proposed use of funds prior to public presentation of proposed uses.
- Survey to consider the following areas:
- Learning loss
- Prevention and mitigation
- Social, emotional and mental health needs of students
- Additional feedback to address impact of COVID 19
- Second online survey conducted from November 14, 2022 through November 30, 2022
- 377 responses
- 93% of responses from parents and teachers
- Small representation of students, citizens and community organizations
- 377 responses
- Public input requested use of funds for:
- Learning loss
- Mitigation and safe operations
- Academic, social, emotional needs
- Additional suggestions/comments
- Needs identified by survey respondents
- Tutoring, remediation, summer school, before and after school remediation, extended school year, year round school
- Additional technology needs, professional development, ancillary technology to work with Chromebook purchases
- Smaller class sizes, additional instructional personnel
- Translation services, instructional materials, community and family engagement services
- Academic and social opportunities for students, such as clubs and enrichment
Opportunities for Public Comment
- Requires review and revision, if necessary, of return to school plan no less than every six(6) months
- Requires public input to determine “whether” and “what” revisions are necessary
ESSER III Projected Use of Funds
ESSER III Uses $51,134,021.38
|
|
Total |
|
| Part-time employees, subs, tutors, health insurance, extended FY 20/21 summer school | $4,179,479.92 |
| Teacher Assistants | $7,513,570.64 |
| Instructional software, Chromebook monitoring services, training, curriculum supports | $2,824,758.72 |
| Tutoring and Virtual Virginia | $3,537,150.88 |
| Interactive panels, hotspots, Chromebooks | $9,839,000.00 |
| TOTAL LEARNING LOSS ALLOCATION (54.55% of funds) | $27,893,960.16 |
| Sanitizing and Mitigation | $290,908.80 |
| Middle/Elementary SEL training and supplies, Universal Screener | $337,970.34 |
| Responsive Classroom Training, Calming room materials | $560,485.60 |
| Personnel: FACE/Technology/HR/Professional Development staff, Contact Tracers | $1,475,294.10 |
| Allocation for distancing needs/Portables | $5,000,000.00 |
| HVAC replacements (HHS, RBW, NHP) | $15,575,402.56 |
|
TOTAL ESSER III USES |
$51,134,021.38 |