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Jackson Public Schools outlines $2.4 million McKinney‑Vento expansion funded by ARP to support unhoused students
Summary
JPS presented how McKinney‑Vento and American Rescue Plan funds were used to expand services for students experiencing homelessness, including shelter learning spaces, supplies, summer tutoring and stipends for home visits.
Jackson Public School District leaders told the board that the district used McKinney‑Vento and American Rescue Plan (ARP) homeless‑focused funds to expand services for scholars experiencing homelessness, including creating learning spaces inside shelters and funding extended tutoring and home‑visit work.
The district presented details of the program during a special board meeting. Tiffany Jones, JPS’s McKinney‑Vento manager, said the district received “a little over $2,400,000” from ARP homeless allocations and combined those with regular McKinney‑Vento grant resources to buy supplies, personnel time, training, equipment and technology.
Jones said roughly $1.7 million of that total was spent on supplies, divided into instructional supplies placed in schools and shelters and “essential supplies” such as cleaning supplies and clothing for graduating seniors. She described using district staff and transportation crews to pack, load and distribute the materials.
The expansion also funded stipends for four dropout‑prevention staff to conduct earlier home visits (after five missed school days rather than waiting until 10–12), hired additional tutors whose work extended into the summer, and paid for targeted training for McKinney‑Vento team leaders. Jones said the funds also purchased equipment and technology for McKinney‑Vento social workers to support their work.
Jones described creating “learning labs” in three shelters—Matt’s House, Lizzie’s House and the Jackson Resource Center—by installing desks, chairs, bookshelves, whiteboards, bulletin boards and affirmation posters. She said the district conducted resource walks with shelter directors to identify needs, and relayed direct feedback from families: “When it’s too cold outside, I go to the learning lab. I can do my homework, read a book, and play my game, and be comfortable,” Jones quoted a JPS scholar as saying.
Board members applauded the presentation. Superintendent Dr. Green thanked Jones and the team and noted the presentation “warms our hearts” and highlights community involvement. Board members asked questions at a high level about distribution and partnerships; no formal board action was taken on this presentation.
District officials said the shelter work is intended to strengthen partnerships between JPS and local shelters and to provide immediate educational supports for students living in unstable housing.
Looking ahead, Jones said the McKinney‑Vento services funded with ARP would remain in place while the district continues to pursue regular McKinney‑Vento grant funding and other supports for homeless scholars.
