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Federal Funds Plan

Clarence Central School District Federal Funds Plan for CRSSA and ARP

The federal government has passed several laws to address the economic and health consequences of the coronavirus pandemic (pandemic). The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act, signed into law on December 27, 2020, provided additional funding to school districts under the same programs established last year in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act was signed into law on March 11, 2021, and continues many of the programs enacted by the CARES Act by adding new phases, new allocations and new guidance to address issues related to the ongoing pandemic. The ARP Act also creates new programs to address continuing pandemic-related crises and fund recovery efforts.

Clarence Central School District created a plan to utilize the allocation of federal funds to help our students and the school community address issues related to the ongoing pandemic that have affected all families and students. The main areas of focus are:

  • Addressing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on students, including the impacts of interrupted instruction and learning loss for all students, but especially 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;

  • Purchasing educational technology;

  • Safely returning students to in-person instruction.

  • Offering evidence-based summer, afterschool, and other extended learning programs;

The district's 3-year plan to utilize the allocation of federal CCRSA and ARP funds was finalized in June of 2021. Over the course of the 3-year grant, the district will review the plan bi-annually and consider revisions at that time. We encourage all stakeholders to review the current plan and applications and provide feedback to pgrupka@clarenceschools.org.   If any substantive revisions are made to the plan in the future, we will formally solicit public comment.

Stakeholder’s input was considered in the development of this plan. Stakeholders include parents, teachers, administrators, and other members of the school community. Please identify which stakeholder group(s) you most closely identify with in your email.

Learning Loss Due to Interrupted Instruction

  • Hire reading specialists to support students not reading at grade level.

  • Hire math intervention teachers to provide academic intervention services (AIS) for students at the K-5.

  • Hire reading intervention teachers to provide academic intervention services grades K-5.

  • Hire Teachers on special assignment to act as literacy specialists to support teachers and curriculum

  • Hire Learning Academic Support teachers to engage with our neediest populations, providing support throughout the day grades 6-12.

  • Curriculum resources to support literacy instruction and alignment at the elementary level.

  • Targeted professional development for intervention specialists, this training would be designed to meet the needs of students both struggling and excelling in mathematics.

Maximizing Instructional Time

  • Expansion of K-12 summer school programs to increase the number of students receiving additional support.

  • After school learning opportunities for students identified as needing instructional support, especially low-income students, children with disabilities, English language learners, and students experiencing homelessness.

Supporting Student Social, Emotional, and Mental Well-Being

  • Hire additional mental health personnel (e.g., social workers, psychologists).

  • Train appropriate personnel on best practices as it relates to Response to Intervention (RTI) and Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS).

  • Training in DEI practices 

Educational Technology Purchases

Our plans for non-recurring expenses in the area of purchasing educational technology include:

  • Replace devices (i.e., Chromebooks) for students

  • Purchase of educational software to support the loss of instruction