Overton Co. Schools Seeking Community Input On ESSER Funding

The Overton County School System is asking for community feedback on how to potentially spend federal COVID funding.

Federal Programs Director Teresa Johnson said the results will be compared to the districts goals to create an improvement plan.

“There is a requirement within the ESSER 3.0 where we as a school district have to have a public facing,” Johnson said. “We are just trying to get as much input as we can from the various stakeholders.”

Johnson said the deadline for feedback comes June 25th. Johnson said the survey can be found on the district’s website or social medias.

“Whether it be our teachers, our administrators, our community, our parents, our students and all involved in what it takes to make our school district successful,” Johnson said. “We just need their input on how to go about spending our allocated amount.”

Johnson said Overton County’s portion of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief comes in at $6.2 million. Johnson said the funding can be used for multiple areas such as technology and after school programs.

“We are allowed to purchase education technology whether that be for school personnel or students,” Johnson said. “We can provide summer learning and supplemental after school programs. Anything that has to do with planning for long term closures. We can address needs of the special population and provide mental health services. Again, school facility repairs and improvements and also learning acceleration.”

At least 20 percent must target learning loss, Johnson said. The American Rescue Plan signed into law in March by President Joe Biden included $122 billion in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds for school districts across the country.