Asheville City Schools outlines tutoring plan after hurricane, seeks Project SERV grant

Asheville City Schools staff told the school board they plan to seek outside funding to run a multi-site, after-school tutoring program to help students recover learning time lost during a roughly 20-day interruption in instruction following the recent hurricane.

Shannon Baggett, presenting the instructional plan, said principals, instructional coaches and teachers are “adjusting their instruction, looking at pacing guides” and reviewing NCDPI test specifications to make sure tested standards are addressed. Baggett said staff aim to identify students who need additional support based on beginning‑of‑year and progress‑monitoring data.

The district’s proposal, as described to the board, would offer Monday–Thursday after‑school tutoring for roughly 20 weeks through May, targeted to students in tested subjects (EOG/EOC) in grades 3–12. Baggett said the district is proposing teacher pay at $30 per hour plus FICA and retirement and estimated staffing needs of roughly 4 teachers per day at the high school sites, 3 teachers at each middle and elementary site and about 15 teachers total per day across sites. The district is also proposing transportation support (about three buses and drivers) and site coordinators to manage schedules and logistics.

Baggett said the initial cost estimate for the district portion of the program is about $217,000. She also noted a separate $9,000 community foundation allocation and that, because federal equitable‑services rules require offering comparable services to private schools, the proposal currently includes private‑school participation; that raises the total asked in the grant application to about $286,000. “We had to put that, in our grant as well,” Baggett said of the equitable‑services requirement.

The district plans to apply for a Project SERV grant (federal funds intended to assist schools after natural disasters) and expects a typical turnaround of 50–70 days for a decision. Baggett said staff have submitted the application for review and will adjust start dates depending on when funding is approved. Board members asked whether the district could begin using reserves and later replenish them if the grant is awarded; staff said they could consider scaling and using fund balance if needed but want to wait until the board adopts the budget on Dec. 9 and has a clearer view of department allocations.

Board members pressed on timing and scale: one member asked whether there would be 20 weeks left after the grant decision; Baggett said the 20‑week figure assumes a start after winter break and noted the plan could be scaled depending on funds. Another board member asked whether the program would extend to private schools that asked for services; Baggett confirmed the district must include any private schools that requested equitable services in the grant application.

Baggett also said the district already has some tutoring assistance in place — Title I and state‑funded tutors in elementary schools — but that the proposed Project SERV program would be larger than typical prior remediation efforts at the middle and high school levels.

The board did not vote on the proposal during the session; staff asked for feedback and signaled they will return with possible budget amendments in February if grant awards or district funding require adjustments.