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Board approves ESSA (ESEA) application after needs assessment highlighted gaps in participation
Summary
The school board approved the district's ESSA (ESEA) grant application May 21 after staff detailed the comprehensive needs assessment and proposed Title 12d4 allocations. The assessment found low survey response rates and asked staff to provide itemized budget breakout for the line items cited in the grant.
April Blunt, PCPS grant manager (joining by Zoom), presented the district's Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA/ESSA) grant application and the supporting comprehensive needs assessment; the board approved the ESSA application that night.
"We did a comprehensive needs assessment...we had 24 participants that participated," Blunt said, describing central elements of the needs-assessment process and the online survey used to collect feedback from parents, students and staff. The presentation covered Title 1 priorities (direct services, mental health and intervention positions, field experiences, and instructional resources), Title 2 professional development and recruitment supports, Title 3 language-acquisition supports and Title 4 academic enrichment and STEM supports.
Board members asked for more granular budget detail before the grant is fully implemented. One board member asked, "Is there any way that we can get...an itemized list of the amount per section...so we'll know what has a budget and what doesn't?" The superintendent and grant staff agreed to provide a line-item spreadsheet breaking out amounts per position and program.
Blunt reported response counts from the needs assessment: roughly 238 student respondents (mostly middle school), about 90 teachers and 89 parents. The slide deck reported that students ranked math and STEM experiences high among desired supports and that teachers reported varying levels of comfort with new curriculum and the instructional framework; staff said the data would guide professional development and resource allocation in the ESSA application.
The superintendent recommended approval of the ESSA application. Board Member Joyce Proctor moved the motion and Board Member Steven L. Pierce Sr. seconded it. Board members voted "Aye" and the motion carried.
Board members also requested the raw survey data and the actual survey instrument be provided to the board in spreadsheet form for review and to increase outreach timing in future years to improve response rates.
