Intervention teachers, new Chromebooks among Wake schools' final proposed uses of federal COVID money
The Wake County Public School System is making plans for its last year of federal pandemic relief dollars.
District officials said Tuesday they will spend the school system’s final $93.8 million in pandemic relief dollars this year on learning intervention teachers, permanent school-level substitute teachers, behavioral health personnel, and stipends for teachers taking intensive professional development on literacy instruction, among other things.
Of that $93.8 million, the district only has $20 million left it has not budgeted for. For the remaining funds, it’s looking at buying new computers for students and employees will cost as much as $20 million. The district doesn’t have a permanent funding source for regular computer replacement. The district issued Chromebooks to all students in 2020 and 2021. Chief Business Officer David Neter said the devices last about three to four years.
“Basically it’s the cost of replacement,” Neter said.
The district will need to discuss which devices to buy and whether to allow all children or just children in certain grade levels to take the devices home, because transportation can cause them to break.
Board Member Monika Johnson-Hostler argued against treating laptops like supplementary school supplies, however. Classes often require their use to do work in class and at home.
“We can no longer say this is just technology,” Johnson-Hostler said. “It is literally going to be vital to their academic outcomes.”
The district received $475.9 million in pandemic relief dollars, out of more than $200 billion distributed to K-12 schools nationally.
Because the lump sum must be used by Sept. 30, 2024, the school system has spent the money largely on one-time or short-term expenses. With a $34.5 million exception: The substitute teacher and behavioral health supports, along with technicians and regular maintenance projects.
District leaders want to make them permanent fixtures in the district’s annual budget going forward, but it will take support from the Wake County Board of Commissioners to raise the funds to do so. The school board has asked commissioners for significant funding increases the past two years, largely to fund wage increases amid staffing shortages, not to fund entirely new staff members at existing schools.
The biggest pandemic relief dollar spending categories have been $125.2 million for staff bonuses, $51.6 million for learning interventions, $39.3 million for summer learning programs, $30.1 million on educational technology, $24.8 million on COVID-19 transmission reduction and $24.6 million on behavioral health support.
The bonuses have helped retain staff as other school systems have also used the funds to provide bonuses, said A.J. Mutillo, assistant superintendent for human resources. But it’s unclear whether the bonuses have helped retain teachers generally, across school systems, he said.
Anecdotally, however, Mutillo and Neter said feedback has been positive.
“I’ve got nothing but intense appreciation for those bonuses,” Neter said.
