Lynbrook UFSD

American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP)

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) 

ARP-ESSER Funding Plan

Introduction

The 2021-22 enacted state budget includes language requiring local education agencies, such as school districts, that receive funding from the Federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund allocated by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP-ESSER) to post on its website a plan by school year of how these funds will be spent.

New York has been allocated nearly $9 billion in ARP-ESSER funds, with a minimum of $8.09 billion (90 percent) going to local education agencies, including public schools.

Lynbrook UFSD has been allocated $1,414,563. Of this total, Lynbrook UFSD has earmarked $611,811 specifically for: supporting summer programming ($80,000), after-school programming ($30,000), and additional supports to address learning loss ($826,811).

Districts are also required to prioritize spending on non-recurring expenses in areas such as the following selected by our district based upon student needs:

• Addressing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on students, including the impacts of interrupted instruction and learning loss and the impacts on low-income students, children with disabilities, English language learners, and students experiencing homelessness;
  
• Implementing evidence-based strategies to meet students' social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs;
  
• Offering evidence-based summer, afterschool, and other extended learning and enrichment programs; and
  
• Supporting early childhood education.

The following details specifically how the Lynbrook UFSD plans to allocate this fund to meet the priorities.

Addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on all students, including low-income students, students with disabilities, English language learners, and students experiencing homelessness.

Additional Psychologist and Social Worker:
Due to the devastating effects of the pandemic, the District has seen more and more students, especially our most vulnerable, throughout the school year suffering from mental health and personal issues that have prevented them from fully accessing the curriculum and have contributed to significant learning loss. For these students to be successful moving forward, these individuals will support them as we address their learning loss. We propose hiring an additional psychologist and social worker at a cost of approximately $501,811 over a two-year period. At the end of the funding period, the District can decide whether these additional services are still warranted.

Additional Special Education Teacher:
Due to the devastating effects of the pandemic, the District has seen that certain special education students were unable to fully access the curriculum and this has contributed to learning loss. For these students to be successful moving forward, the District proposes adding 0.5 FTE Special Education teacher to support these students as we address their learning loss. The cost will be approximately $75,000. At the end of the funding period, the District can decide whether these additional services are still warranted.

Moving Writing Lab to Grade 9:
Moving Writing Lab from sophomore to freshman year will allow students to develop the writing skills they need to be successful in high school. Due to the pandemic, many students did not have the opportunity to fully develop these skills. This building of students’ fundamental academic skills will help address learning loss and prepare them right away for their high school studies. To pay for the double staffing costs in year 1, we are allocating approximately $113,636 for 1.0 FTE English teacher. This expenditure of funds benefits the students for years to come and does not incur a recurring cost.

Remote Schooling Option:
If the District is required to provide a remote schooling option, $207,752 will be spent toward providing students a quality education at home. It is imperative that all our students find success regardless of the learning options they choose.

Implementing evidence-based strategies to meet students’ social, emotional, mental health and academic needs.

Behavioral Supports:
Behavioral supports will be offered in order to help IEP teams create plans to manage behaviors that affect a student’s learning. Behavioral consultants will work with our teams to provide a comprehensive approach to behavior management that includes evaluation, data collection, interventions and regular monitoring. The cost will be approximately $250,000 over a two-year period. At the end of the funding period, the District can decide whether these additional supports are still warranted.

SEL Infusion:
In light of the pandemic, the District understands that students’ social and emotional well-being must be addressed in order to promote academic success. In order to do this seamlessly, the district will be offering professional development, at a cost of approximately $20,000, regarding how to integrate Social Emotional Learning and Character Education into our already established curricula. The goals would be to provide the tools necessary for students to adopt a growth mindset and become risk-takers. The potential benefits of this expenditure will last long past the end of the funding period.

Moving Health to Grade 9:
Moving Health from sophomore to freshman year will allow students to foster good decision making and receive the mental health support they need to be successful from the moment they enter the high school. Again, due to the pandemic, many students did not have the opportunity to fully develop these skills as fully in middle school. To pay for the double staffing costs in year 1, we are allocating approximately $136,364 for 1.2 FTE Health teacher. This expenditure of funds benefits the students for years to come and does not incur a recurring cost.

Offering evidence-based summer, afterschool, and other extended learning and enrichment programs.

Summer High School:
The Summer High School program will serve students who had difficulty mastering required core content and skills during the pandemic and address their learning loss. This program will allow these students to develop the required prerequisites and/or skills needed to move from one level to the next and acquire the required credits to graduate from high school. The cost of the Summer High School program will be approximately $70,000.

Summer Academy:
The K-8 Summer Academy is to offer identified students opportunities for academic enrichment and skill building during the summer in order to address learning loss. Students will be engaged in daily mathematics, reading, writing, and word study activities. The emphasis will be on fun activities that explore essential concepts in each discipline, and students will be clustered in the following bands entering K, 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8. The cost for the program will be approximately $10,000.

ENL After-school Program:
The District will offer ELLs an opportunity to attend sessions three times a week after-school conducted by an ENL Teacher to help develop study and organizational skills and address learning loss. Additionally, Quarterly meetings will be held for parents of ELLs during which they will receive information regarding the curriculum and be taught strategies that they can use at home to help their students. The cost for the ENL After-school Program will be approximately $30,000 over a two-year period. At the end of the funding period, the District can decide whether these additional services are still warranted.

Questions or comments regarding this plan may be sent to fundingplancomments@lynbrookschools.org.