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BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR STAFF
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com
The Elizabethton City School Board of Education is slated to meet on Thursday at 5:30 pm at the Mack Pierce Board Room and one of the items that the board is hoping to get a good response from is citizens of Elizabethton in regards to the ESSER 3.0 funds and American Relief Plan funds that the school system is receiving.

“We are hoping that members of the community will come to the meeting on Thursday to either ask questions or make comments about the ESSER 3.0 plan,” stated Director of Schools Richard VanHuss.

The system has had a survey on their website requesting input from anyone who would like to submit ideas on how the school system could use the funds.

Also, prior to even knowing the funds were going to be available, principals from each city school were asked about what they would do if they had unlimited funds and VanHuss said some of the ideas generated will be incorporated.

The Elizabethton City Schools is scheduled to receive $5.66 million dollars from the ESSER 3.0 funds. The system will be looking at hiring some additional staff to make up for learning loss due to the COVID pandemic which will include an in-school tutoring program above the RTI program already in place.

Also, some of the money will be aimed at the renovation of T.A. Dugger Junior High.

“We realize we will need more funds and are hoping that the infrastructure bill being discussed in Congress will help provide some more funding toward those renovations as well,” VanHuss added.

Following the discussion, the BOE will hear an update from Director VanHuss which will also include a Personnel Report and a report on the 2021-2022 school year re-opening protocol.

Reports will also be heard from the board, the City Council liaison, and the student liaison to the board.

The regular agenda will include ratifying the creation of up to fifteen Instructional Assistant positions to staff the TN All Corps In-School Tutoring Program to be funded using ESSER 3.0 and State Funding.

Also, the BOE will be asked to approve an agreement between the Elizabethton City School System and the Elizabethton Police Department for the School Resource Officer Program for the 2021-2022 School Year.