A plan for using potential federal relief funding was approved by the Neenah Joint School District Board of Education at its August 17 meeting. The Board also reviewed staff and parent survey data from the 2020-21 school year.
The District is scheduled to receive funding as part of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Education Relief Fund (ESSER). The majority of these funds are to pay for one-time expenses to help districts recover from the loss of learning during the pandemic. Neenah is expected to receive $2.2 million in ESSER II funds in 2021-22. Plans are to spend $1.9 million on curriculum, instruction and assessment with a focus on all grade levels. The other $700,000 will be spent on technology with District-wide upgrades.
The District is expected to get $5.1 million in ESSER III funds in 2022-23 and 2023-24. It is expected Neenah will spend $1.9 million each year in curriculum, instruction and assessment and $900,000 in each of the two years in technology. An elementary social worker will also be added in 2022-23 and continue after the grant has expired.
Bill Foster from School Perceptions provided results of the District survey that was administered to parents and staff last spring. Foster indicated the results of both surveys were very positive. Most of the discussion centered around parents believing that critical thinking, problem solving and career readiness were important traits, but feeling the District was not doing well in these areas. Foster noted the District’s teachers and administration may need to better communicate how they are developing these skills in students.
Teaching hires were approved for Benjamin Lamers at Roosevelt, Shelley Meyerhofer and Sarah Bell at Clayton, Kayla Marshall at Spring Road and Taft, Chris Converse at the high school and Andrew Galley at Shattuck. Non-certified staff hires included Kristin Piper at Horace Mann, Mary Schulz at the high school, Iryna Kim at Spring Road, Ali Hendries and Jessalyn Bayer at Tullar and Chad Hanson and Angela Zanto at the administration building.
Resignations were approved for District facilities director Adam Krieger, Shattuck teacher Christine Barnish, District nurse Rebecca Forbes, Washington educational assistant Jennifer Stoeckert, Shattuck attendance clerk Kristi Kimote, administration assistant Stephanie Leagjeld and Hoover educational assistant Sadie Slotke.
In the superintendent’s report, Dr. Pfeiffer indicated that messaging regarding updates to the COVID-19 recovery plan will be provided closer to the start of school. She also noted that survey results for virtual school did not meet the minimum number of students needed in any grade level, so no virtual options will be provided this fall.
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