District outlines use of Title IV and Student Wellness funds for social-emotional supports, technology and nursing

Winton Woods City School District staff told the board Monday how federal Title IV and state Student Wellness and Success funds were allocated for the 2024–25 school year, emphasizing mental health supports and technology to bolster instruction.

Doug Sanker, supervisor of state federal programs and testing, said the district received roughly $177,000 in Title IV money and about $750,000 in Student Wellness and Success funds. The state program, Sanker said, supports social-emotional learning and measures to keep students academically engaged.

Sanker outlined examples of funded services and vendors: four full-time-equivalent staff focused on social-emotional learning (three teachers at South Campus running a “Sources of Strength” elective and one middle-school positive-behavior coach), a high-school transition coordinator providing one-on-one mentoring, nursing support for four positions (three contracted through Hamilton County and one district nursing supervisor) and digital programs such as ST Math and Gizmo Learning.

“Student wellness and success is a state fund. So these are funds that are earmarked for districts to support students’ mental health and wellness in the school building,” Sanker said.

Program outcomes and usage reported to the board included: - ST Math (middle school): approximately $33,000 spent, with roughly 26,000 logins by 2,700 students in the first semester. - Gizmo Learning: about $13,000 spent, roughly 4,600 logins by 300 students (grades 5–9) in the first semester. - Dreambuilders University (youth development): $23,000 from Title IV was used; program served about 124 students with a reported 25% improvement on a local “grit” scale. - Behavioral supports: two contractors (Icron and Meredith Potter) provided one-on-one or small-group interventions for about 40 identified high-school students.

Sanker also reported clinic activity: nurses logged about 17,000 clinic visits last year and over 10,000 in the first semester of the current year, for issues from acute illness to chronic-condition management.

Discussion and next steps: Board members asked about program reach and costs; staff said some programs are funded in part from the general fund. Sanker noted the district will continue to monitor usage and outcomes and that some vendors and services are paid annually.

Ending: The report was informational; no formal board action was required. Staff said the funds are targeted and restricted to specified uses and will continue to be monitored for student outcomes and program efficiency.