The Washington County Board of Education plans to use the ARP ESSER funds to continuously and safely operate schools for in-person learning by ensuring students have safe and healthy environments when they are at school.  The funds will secure HVAC systems to replace worn/outdated and unsafe ones.  Air conditioning is also being placed on school buses.  The bus can get very hot during the summer months making it very unhealthy for students with physical issues to attend summer school.  Cooling the buses ensures that all students have the opportunity to participate in strategies to overcome learning losses.  Nurses will be available at all school sites. Sanitation supplies are being supplied to all schools, specifically all classrooms and areas where students are present.  This ensures the spread of any germs is limited at all times.  Class size reduction teachers are provided to prevent classrooms with very large numbers of students so they may spread out.

The ARP ESSER application for funds shall be evaluated twice per year to amend when additional needs arise and/or it is determined through a comprehensive evaluation that strategies need to be altered.  

The Washington County Board of Education uses evidence-based interventions that address the academic impact of lost instructional time and to ensure that those interventions respond to the academic, emotional, and mental health needs of all students including underrepresented student subgroups (including major racial and ethnic groups, children of poverty, children with disabilities, EL students, migrant students, homeless students, foster care, and all genders.  

The academic losses for Washington County students were massive when the pandemic started.  The area is very rural and many students had no access to Internet services.  Even hotspots would not work because there is no cellular data access at their homes.  Many were relegated to paper packets mailed to them with limited instruction and little to no ability to receive personal contact with instructors.  When students returned to the traditional environment most all students were behind.  Students had missed the introduction of skills, and those who already struggled prior to the pandemic lost the ability to receive direct intervention.  The ARP ESSER funds will focus on the need to address these losses by appropriately individualizing instruction for each student.  

Summer school and literacy camps are taking place on all school campuses.  Transportation is provided so that all students, especially the subgroups are afforded the opportunity to participate.  Intervention tutoring is provided using evidence-based programs and strategies.  This tutoring is taking place during the school day and in extended-day activities.  The tutoring is provided by certified teachers during the day by retired teachers.  These same teachers and additional active teachers are providing the tutoring after-school. These teachers are participating in high-quality professional development so that they are prepared to effectively implement the interventions.  

The mental health of students cannot be overlooked.  Additional counselors are provided so that each student's social, emotional, and mental healths needs are addressed. These additional personnel ensure that counselors are available full-time for all elementary and high school students. They had to share one person before, limiting access. Other additional personnel is made available as well.  A student support specialist is also employed to support the students by helping them make connections to available community resources such as AltaPointe and other mental health services. The support specialist also serves as an academic tutor to students that need one-one-one academic support.  

Migrant students' support personnel have doubled.  Migrant liaisons assist these students in both instructional and non-instructional supports. A homeless and foster liaison is now available to assist in the identification of these students so that they can be properly served and provided resources to help them secure success.  Currently there are no EL students in the district but professional development is cosistently provided in the event an EL student enrolls.  

The funds will be accounted for and tracked using the NEXTGEN accounting program.  NEXTGEN is the accounting program used in all Alabama schools.  Our district has very specific guidelines for tracking all purchases.  First of all, all purchases are need-driven as outlined in a needs assessment conducted at both the district and school level.  Puchase orders are created and sent through a multi-step approval process.  Purchase orders for materials, and supplies are presented on the district purchase order to the Federal Programs Director.  She monitors and approves all purchases that are attached to the needs of the ACIP.  Once the programmatic approval is granted, the purchase orders move to the Federal Programs Bookkeeper.  This step is the process in which the purchases are compared with the monetary line items.  If there is an approved line item in the budget, the BookKeeper places a funding code on the purchase order and completes it processing by securing the proper signataures and then sends to the vendor.  Once the items are received, the person in receipt of the items/services completes a receiving report that is forwarded to the Bookkeeper indicating it is time to pay the invoice.  The invoices are signed by the Superintendent of Education and checks are payable and send to the vendors by the CSFO and Custodian of Funds.  These steps ensure that multiple people are part of the expenditure of funds that eliminates the threat of misusing them.  

There is a follow-up evaluation report completed as a part of the ACIP to determine the impact the materials and services have on their intented purpose.  These evaluation reports are presented to the public annually at a meeting of the Washington County Board of Education.  

The Washington County School District believes that engaging with families and communities throughout the life of the ARP ESSER and other relief funds is a critical part of the recovery.  We feel so strongly about this vital component that funds are being used to employ a Family and Coummunity Outreach Specialist (COS).  The main goals of employing a COS and developing and outreach program it to improve learning, and strengthen families/communities by addressing school and societal needs. 

Engaging families and the community has been a need long before the pandemic began.  Unfortunately, with the unfinished learning that took place during the pandemic, engaging our stakeholders has become a necessity.  We learned when schools were closed due to the pandemic, we did not have the partnerships in place we needed to take the effective learning into the homes.  We made the best of the situation at the time.  We do not intend to ignore those lessons learned.  Our community outreach program will include opportunities for parents to learn skills necessary to be co-teachers, so that when students need help they are able to provide that support.  Partnerships that were already in place prior to the pandemic will be strenghtened.  Title I Parent meetings will be geared more specifically to student needs outlined in the parent compact than a simple informational meeting. The COS will work to find a multitude of creative ways to connect our schools, parents, and the community.  This includes newsletter, monthly parent trainings, blog postings, and informational videos.  It is our intent to have an engagement program that is well-rounded and is available to all.