To address student learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic, Covington Independent Public Schools will host a longer summer session, enroll more students and provide incentives for teachers who work in the program.
The district has set aside more than $3 million to address student-learning gaps resulting from the disruption of educational service due to COVID-19. The expenditure is one of the ways the district is spending the $9.2 million it received from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund that Congress passed to address the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Covington Board of Education approved the spending plan earlier this month.
“The past 15 months has been hard on everyone including our teachers who have managed teaching online, synchronous and in-person,” said Stacie Strotman, director of Community and Family Engagement. Ms. Strotman also oversees the summer program. “The board of education increased the hourly pay to encourage teachers to give additional time in the summer so we can recover from the COVID learning loss. This not only shows our appreciation to our teachers for their commitment to our students and families but it also provides us with high-quality certified staff to implement the highest level of academic programming to our students this summer.’’
Teachers who work in the summer program normally are paid $24 an hour. Under the spending plan approved, the pay will increase to $50 an hour this summer. Classified employees will also see a bump in their pay from $12 to $30 an hour. In addition, the summer session also has been extended from five to six week and will include students in K-12. Students from the alternative program will be able to attend the summer program as well. Instead of enrolling 500 students, the district has a goal of serving 850 students.
Addressing learning loss is Covington’s largest expenditure in this round of ESSER funds. Covington Superintendent Alvin Garrison said the district carefully weighed all of its needs after receiving input from educational leaders and board members. In addition to addressing learning loss, the spending plan includes adopting technologies to ensure equitable access to learning for all students, addressing the academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of all students, supporting ongoing efforts to keep schools safely open and recovering some of the expenses brought on by the pandemic.
“It’s been a delicate balancing act, but our focus has always been on meeting the needs of our students,’’ Garrison said. “We believe our plan will help our students, families and staff.’’
Covington’s spending plan is as follows:
From Covington Independent Public Schools
