Full District Name
USD 348 Baldwin City
District Number
348
Mailing Address | Street Address
P.O.Box 67
Mailing l City
Baldwin City
Mailing Address | Zip Code
66006
Authorized Representative of the District | Name
Mark Dodge
Authorized Representative of the District | Position or Title
Superintendent
Authorized Representative of the District | Email Address
Authorized Representative of the District | Phone Number
+17855942721
Would you like to additional district representatives to the application?
Yes
Other District Representative 1 | Email Address
Other District Representative 2 | Email Address
Please paste a direct link of your school district’s safe return plan that is posted on your website.
https://www.usd348.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/1-COVID-19-Prevention-Measures-for-the-2021-2022-School-Year-Google-Docs.pdf
Describe to the extent which and how the funds will be used to implement prevention and mitigation strategies that are, to the greatest extent practicable, consistent with the most recent CDC guidance on reopening schools, in order to continuously and safely open and operate schools for in-person learning.
We have hired two additional nurse aides. This provides a nurse’s aide in each of our school buildings. Between supporting testing, communicating with parents and staff regarding quarantines, checking symptoms and contact tracing the nurse’s aides are critical to keeping our buildings open. In addition, we continue to need a steady supply of masks, gowns and gloves due to mask mandates and keeping symptomatic persons secluded as needed. Of course the federal mask mandate for our busses continues. We continue to sanitize our buildings and vehicles on a regular basis. We continue to need additional supplies of sanitizer sprays and wipes . We also purchase extensive supplies of hand sanitizer.
Engage in Meaningful Consultation with Stakeholders
Students
In developing our ESSER plan, we hosted a focus group with Junior High and High School students to determine their highest levels of need for pandemic-related instruction and support. The following supports received the most interest from our students:
Funding for Health Aides at each building and additional hours to support the District Nurse
Online and In-Person Tutoring
*PPE and Sanitation Supplies
Families
Families
We have worked closely with our families in developing our ESSER support plan. During focus group conversations that engaged our parents/families, it was clear that parents are most interested in seeing the following items as part of our ESSER plan:
Student Success Teachers at all schools
An Additional Social Worker
*Funding for Health Aides at each building and additional hours to support the District Nurse
School and District Administrators including Special Education Administration
School District Administration
Our administrative team has met regularly to review the needs of our student and staff populations both at the building and district levels. These meetings have included a review of data from our various special population groups. As a result of these meetings, the following have been determined as most important to address in our district.
High School Credit Recovery
Online and In-Person Tutoring
Student Success Teachers
An Additional Social Worker
Teachers, Prinicipals, School Leaders, other Educators, School Staff, and their Unions
Teachers, Principals, School Leaders, Other Educators, School Staff, and Their Unions
The development of our ESSER plan has been a collaborative effort of multiple stakeholder groups including: staff, students, parents, administration, and state organizations. Our plans are reflective of those various conversations. Highlights of these collaborative conversations include the inclusion of the following items in our ESSER III plan:
High School Credit Recovery
Online and In-Person Tutoring
Curriculum subscriptions/materials to support gaps in reading/math
Student Success Teachers
An Additional Social Worker
Funding for Health Aides at each building and additional hours to support the District Nurse
Tribes
Based on the Tribal Leaders Directory, USD 348 does not have any federally- or state-recognized tribes within our boundaries. This information was confirmed by the USD497 NASS Coordinator.
Civil Rights Organizations including Disability Rights Organizations
We reached out to the Kansas Action for Children, a civil rights organization, to seek feedback regarding suggestions to best meet the needs of students as it relates to their civil rights. The KAC representative was interested in support related to the physical infrastructure of schools, teacher retention, student nutrition, and technology to support virtual governance. Although some of these needs are being met through other programs, it was determined that the following projects included in our ESSER III application would support their interest:
HVAC/Ionizer
PPE and Sanitation Supplies
Retention Stipend
Teacher stipend for additional duties providing PBL units
Stakeholders represting the interests of children with disabilities, English Learners, Children Experiencing Homelessness, Children in Foster Care, Migratory Students, Children Who are Incarcerated, and other Underserved Students
We have worked closely with our students and representatives of the subgroup populations in our school district in developing our ESSER support plan. We have conducted focus group conversations that involve Special Education Teachers, Counselors, and parents who represent English learners, children experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, and other underserved students. Through those conversations, it was clear that the following supports were most needed:
Online and In-Person Tutoring
Student Success Teachers
An Additional Social Worker
Funding for Health Aides at each building and additional hours to support the District Nurse
Provide the Public the Opportunity to provide input and take such input into account.
As we did with ESSER II the plan for ESSER III was presented publicly at a special school board meeting and was posted publicly in several different places where the public could see the plan. At that meeting and following meetings patrons provided input about what they liked and didn’t like about the plan.
District administration and building administration collaborated on identifying specific stakeholders to invite to our stakeholder meetings. Stakeholders were chosen on their representation of the different groups within our district. Each potential stakeholder was emailed individually with an explanation of what ESSER III is, what our process would be and a request for them to help us and All stakeholders were invited to different zoom meetings and were asked to rsvp so we could determine that we were maintaining representation. Those that declined were replaced by inviting another stakeholder that represented the same group. Several options were provided to the stakeholders to attend a zoom meeting in order to make the meetings convenient. Students were chosen by the building administrators and parental permission was obtained so we could meet with them face to face and obtain their input on possible proposals. KSDE provided several options for civil rights organizations that we could contact and ask for input. We met with the Director of the Kansas Action for Children and presented to him though zoom. Each zoom meeting was recorded so we could go back and better recall their ideas, questions and input.
Please briefly describe the impacts of COVID-19 on the district and its Pre-K through 12 students, including any relevant data where possible (e.g., cost impact, learning loss, emotional impact on students). If there has been a disproportionate impact on a special population in the district (e.g., students with disabilities, English Learners, students in foster care, students in poverty, etc.), please describe the impact and provide the number of Pre-K through 12 students in that population.
USD 348 has approximately 1,400 students PreK-12 enrolled in the 4 attendance centers across the district. These students left for Spring Break on March 5, 2020, and did not return to finish the 2019-20 school year in person. While students had educational opportunities through remote learning, this did not meet the needs of all students. The start of the 2020-21 school year was delayed until September 9, 2021, resulting in a further instructional loss. The 2021-22 school year started on time but has had its own challenges with both students and staff being sick and/or out on quarantine contributing to low attendance rates, chronic absenteeism, learning loss, and disengagement. Our Fall academic screening data from FastBridge indicated that 61% of students were on track (at grade level) in Reading; with 26% as some risk and 13% as a high risk. Similarly, in Math our Fall FastBridge screening data revealed 65% of students on track (at grade level), 24% showing some risk, and 11% high risk. Looking at these data closer indicates that our biggest gap in reading is in 1st grade (~93 students), with only 34% of students considered to be on track, and 4th grade (~91 students), with only 44% of students considered to be on track. The standard deviation, indicating how much the ability estimates are spread out for a group of students, ranges from 7.48 in math (indicating that the group is very similar) to 37.93 in reading (indicating that the group is very different in instructional needs). This example from a 5th-grade classroom shares the extreme variability in student needs within a single classroom of approximately 24 students. Examples like this are found throughout the 4 instructional buildings.
Please review the following allowable uses of ESSER III funds before completing the narrative and Excel template portion of the application. USES OF FUNDS.—A local educational agency that receives funds under this section—
A. Any activity authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.
B. Any activity authorized by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
C. Any activity authorized by the Adult 6 Education and Family Literacy Act.
D. Any activity authorized by the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006.
E. Coordination of preparedness and response efforts of local educational agencies with State, local, Tribal, and territorial public health departments, and other relevant agencies, to improve coordinated responses among such entities to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.
F. Activities to address the unique needs of low-income children or students, children with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and foster care youth, including how outreach and service delivery will meet the needs of each population.
G. Developing and implementing procedures and systems to improve the preparedness and response efforts of local educational agencies.
H. Training and professional development for staff of the local educational agency on sanitation and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases.
I. Purchasing supplies to sanitize and clean the facilities of a local educational agency, including buildings operated by such agency.
J. Planning for, coordinating, and implementing activities during long-term closures, including providing meals to eligible students, providing technology for online learning to all students, providing guidance for carrying out requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and ensuring other educational services can continue to be provided consistent with all Federal, State, and local requirements.
K. Purchasing educational technology (including hardware, software, and connectivity) for students who are served by the local educational agency that aids in regular and substantive educational interaction between students and their classroom instructors, including low income students and children with disabilities, which may include assistive technology or adaptive equipment.
L. Providing mental health services and supports, including through the implementation of evidence-based full-service community schools.
M. Planning and implementing activities related to summer learning and supplemental afterschool programs, including providing classroom instruction or online learning during the summer months and addressing the needs of low income students, children with disabilities, English learners, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care.
N. Addressing learning loss among students, including low-income students, children with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and children and youth in foster care, of the local educational agency, including by—
a. administering and using high-quality assessments that are valid and reliable, to accurately assess students’ academic progress and assist educators in meeting students’ academic needs, including through differentiating instruction;
b. implementing evidence-based activities to meet the comprehensive needs of students;
c. providing information and assistance to parents and families on how they can effectively support students, including in a distance learning environment; and
d. tracking student attendance and improving student engagement in distance education.
O. School facility repairs and improvements to enable operation of schools to reduce risk of virus transmission and exposure to environmental health hazards, and to support student health needs.
P. Inspection, testing, maintenance, repair, replacement, and upgrade projects to improve the indoor air quality in school facilities, including mechanical and non-mechanical heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, filtering, purification and other air cleaning, fans, control systems, and window and door repair and replacement.
Q. Developing strategies and implementing public health protocols including, to the greatest extent practicable, policies in line with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the reopening and operation of school facilities to effectively maintain the health and safety of students, educators, and other staff.
R. Other activities that are necessary to maintain the operation of and continuity of services in local educational agencies and continuing to employ existing staff of the local educational funding.
Describe how the LEA will use the funds it reserves under section 2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act to address the academic impact of lost instructional time through the implementation of evidence-based interventions, such as summer learning or summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive afterschool programs, or extended school year programs.
Over 20% of our ESSER funds will address the academic impact of lost instructional time by utilizing our Student Success Teachers to implement Tiered Systems of Support within each building. In addition, curriculum materials aligned with the Science of Reading practices are being purchased to address learning loss. In-person and online tutoring will be provided to students who may be currently struggling with coursework so that they do not get further behind in their studies. Summer learning will also be addressed through the high school program to support credit recovery opportunities to keep students on track to graduate with their cohort class.
Describe how the LEA will spend its remaining ARP ESSER funds consistent with section 2001(e)(2) of the ARP Act.
Additional ESSER Funds will support the improvement of indoor air quality, implementation of public health protocols required for the operation of school facilities, providing mental health services and supports to students and families, and supporting additional teacher duties and retention of staff.
Describe how the LEA will ensure that the interventions it implements, including but not limited to the interventions under section 2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act to address the academic impact of lost instructional time, will respond to the academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of all students, and particularly those students disproportionately impacted by the COVID–19 pandemic, including students from low-income families, students of color, English learners, children with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, and migratory students.
The impact of ESSER II funding will be monitored through an ongoing review of our data. Academic needs will be reviewed through the use of FastBridge (Fall, Winter, and Spring) and the summative scores on the annual Kansas Assessment. Social, Emotional, and Mental Health needs will be reviewed through the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener (SAEBRS) taken in the Fall, Winter, and Spring and the Kansas Communities that Cares (KCTC) survey taken annually by students in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12. When possible, subgroups will be analyzed separately, ensuring the needs of all students are being met, including students from low-income families, students of color, children with disabilities, and students experiencing homelessness. Additionally, we should also see an improvement in individual course grades, decreased retention or retaking of courses, and increases in our graduation rate.