North Little Rock district details using aid for nutrition, gear

NORTH LITTLE ROCK — The School District plans to use Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief money to provide teachers with additional covid-19 sick leave this year.

Brian Brown, the district’s chief financial officer, and Kristie Ratliff, executive director of federal programs and professional development, updated the School Board on Thursday on the relief funds and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for this year. The presentation included discussion about the allocation, balance and how the funds were used over the past year.

“We have all heard these names discussed through schools and media, and I am here to help share what this means for us,” Ratliff said.

The CARES Act was approved in March, and through that act Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief money was distributed to school districts across the country.

CARES funding provided emergency relief money to schools to help offset the effects the pandemic. The money must be used on food security, direct student support/continuous learning opportunities, technology or systemic procedures.

Ratliff said the School District has allocated $3,422,373 in relief/CARES money, with $1,635,701 having been spent as of Tuesday. She said the largest amount, $775,001, has gone to child nutrition. Other amounts included $229,241 to technology devices for online learning, and $174,204 to personal protective equipment and health screening equipment.

The district has $1,786,672 remaining from the first allocation, Ratliff said.

Brown said school officials will take a covid-19 sick leave extension plan to the board soon, with money coming out of the remaining Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief money.

“We want to use the existing ESSER funds because they have an expiration date of 2022,” Brown said. “The governor’s funds have run out, and one reimbursement wasn’t filled because the funds weren’t there. This is the reason we need to use the ESSER funds.”

Brown said this is possible because the district will receive additional money this year.

The CARES Act was signed into law Dec. 27, and Ratliff said the preliminary allocation for the district this year will be $13,874,437.

“That is four times the original amount,” she said. “[Superintendent Gregory] Pilewski and the executive team are brainstorming ideas to use these funds to address all the needs across the district.”

Pilewski told the School Board teachers and administrators are aware of the money and are allowed to make requests for them. He said he wants requests to go through principals to make sure they fit the curriculum and to enforce the chain of command within the School District.

“We want to use these funds strategically,” Pilewski said. “Remember, there are five buckets we can spend these funds in. We can use these funds in robust ways. For example, technology is one of the ways. Some teachers are using technology that is six to seven years old. We got to get them the supplies so they can keep up as well.”