Greenwood schools will target air purification, technology and learning loss with millions of dollars in federal relief funds.
Greenwood Community Schools received $3.4 million from the third installment of the CARES Act, also known as the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Signed into law in March, it also provided $1,400 direct payment to most adults making less than $75,000, and provided money to private businesses and public institutions, such as schools.
Local school districts received anywhere from $1.4 million to $4.8 million from the federal relief package, according to the Indiana Department of Education.
Of Greenwood’s share, the majority of the money, almost $2.2 million, will go toward air purification systems at each of the district’s six schools from now until 2024, which is the period of the grant. Greenwood schools may decide to spend less than that amount on air purification and HVAC systems if other needs arise, or if there are ways to cut spending on the systems, said Terry Terhune, superintendent.
The next largest chunk of money, almost $826,000, will go toward technology. It will fund additional teacher and student devices, such as Chromebooks, and replace old ones. The money will also pay off licensing fees and add to technology infrastructure within the district, Terhune said.
“We’re looking at upgrading wireless access points so our system is streamlined with the increased number of devices we’re now using on a regular basis,” he said. “We also are setting up to be prepared in the event we have more online learning with teachers’ devices. Some of this is reimbursement, some is purchasing. It’s a matter of ensuring we have funds over the next three years to support technology.”
The rest of the money, about $453,000, will go toward helping students recover from learning loss during a school year that was largely interrupted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
That includes the salary of learning loss coordinator JoAnn Hurt, who will be paid $76,000 during the 2021-22 school year. Her job will include looking at student test scores and grades at different schools and determining which areas students need the most help in, said Lisa Harkness, director of curriculum, instruction and assessment at Greenwood schools.
“We’ll buy instructional materials to mitigate learning loss. We’ll find where the largest gap is and help kids and teachers close that gap,” Harkness said.
