School staff to lose positions as funding ends

Eleven staff members of the county’s school division are expected to lose their jobs in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-2025 due to the loss of grant funds.

At the February 8 school board meeting, School Superintendent Jason Wood said the division would see a significant budget decrease due to a loss in funding. 

Regardless of state funds, “we will see a decrease in funds next year because our federal CARES (Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Security), ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) I, ESSER II and ESSER II dollars end this fiscal year,” he said.

Since 2020, Wood said the division has received approximately $8,925,000 in federal funds.

“We utilized about $1.1 million a year” for the last three years on average “for salaries, tutoring, and employee bonuses” for those who worked through the pandemic, he said.

The rest of the $5.4 million was used for capital improvement projects, like restroom renovations at each school, buying cleaning supplies and equipment, five new buses and safer cars at schools to transport students, learning loss supplies, school painting and furniture, metal storage buildings at every school, school playgrounds at each school, and other projects and supplies.

There will be a smaller staff “because we will not have the grant funds to maintain those positions” next year, Wood said.

Because the division only receives the Required Local Effort (RLE) and Required Local Match (RLM) from the county, Wood said there are only a few positions the division would be able to move into the general operating budget.

It doesn’t matter which calculation tool is used, “we’re going to be unable to provide current level services to our students because we’re losing these federal dollars,” he said.

Wood said most of those slated to lose their jobs are teacher assistants and some student success coaches.

“If the locality gives us additional dollars,” he said some could be retained. “We’re looking at other grants now for a behavioral specialist to help with some of the issues. We’re looking for other grant options to hire some back, but I do not see a grant out there to bring back $1.2 million in our budget to keep the staff operating like it has been.”

Wood said the division is meeting with schools next week to consider enrollment and the number of teachers each school needs.

Those in the grant-funded positions “knew that June 30 was the last date for employment because that’s when the funds run out,” he said, adding the division would love to be able to maintain those levels of positions because they have been a benefit and a blessing to the students.