District Administrator

by Brian Krey, Business Manager, guest writer River Valley School District I appreciated the time, comments, and questions I received from last week’s column on the District financial forecast.  This week, I hope to provide readers with an understanding of the ESSER (COVID-19 relief) federal grant dollars, and River Valley School District’s plan to utilize these funds.   The federal government approved ESSER I grant dollars for school districts last spring.  The district had access to ESSER I dollars ($159,683) in the summer of 2020.  It’s important to note that St. John’s and St. Luke’s schools each received $5,274.10, so the district total was $149,134.80.  The district budgeted this money to account for additional expenses related to in-person and simultaneous virtual schooling for the 2020-2021 school year.   Please note that these federal dollars do not infuse our general budget with additional operating revenue.  This money is one-time money that can be used for expenses allowed by the grant through the Department of Public Instruction (DPI).   As of March 22, the district has spent all of the $149,134.80 ESSER I grant dollars.  A breakdown of these one-time, allowable expenditures includes: • Additional technology supplies/equipment for virtual instruction:  $11,910. • PPE Equipment including face masks for students and Hand Sanitizer: $37,000. • District disinfecting supplies/equipment:  $30,404.45. • Plexiglass barriers:  $19,831.98. • Additional recess supplies for Cohort Model:  $2,500. • Replacement of some classroom furniture with furniture that can be sanitized daily:  $12,235.68. • Summer 2020 professional development for staff on virtual instruction:  $35,252.69. We are grateful for these federal dollars, as we believe it helped us continue with in-person (and virtual) instruction for this school year.  I know we aren’t finished with this school year yet, but I commend our entire staff for providing an in-person model while offering virtual learning at the same time.  The federal government has also approved ESSER II and ESSER III grant funds for school districts.  At this time, River Valley has been awarded $570,306 in round 2 (ESSER II), and we are waiting on confirmation for round 3 (ESSER III).  Our current plan is to utilize around 90 percent of these funds to offset current operational costs that are allowable under the grant guidelines.  I will plan to keep everyone informed as the district moves forward with ESSER II funds, and learns more about our ESSER III allocation.