Donna Talerico calls it the silver lining to the pandemic cloud.
The deputy superintendent of Monongalia County Schools is referring to a specific line item in the district’s proposed operating budget for Fiscal Year 2021-22.
Said document comes in at $143,003,093, which is considerably lower than the previous year’s — read, pre-COVID — outlay of $148 million.
That’s due to 487 students off the rolls because of enrollment in the West Virginia Virtual online learning component through the state Department of Education.
But even with the pandemic shortfall, she said, there is still $7 million in the coffers put there specifically because of the coronavirus.
And those dollars from the federal Elementary and Secondary School Relief Fund, or ESSERF, as it’s known, will be used to help alleviate some of the angst presented by the pandemic.
Part of that specific outlay will be used for the hiring of two new nurses, two additional counselors, and two new special education mentors.
School districts across West Virginia have until 2024 to spend the ESSERF monies and Talerico said the new positions will make an immediate, positive impact as Mon’s school system works to get out from under the shadow of COVID.
“I’m obviously thrilled we’re able to find funding to do this,” she told board of education members this past Tuesday.
“I think in three years, 2024, we need to be able to look back on this and say we really made a difference here.”
BOE President Nancy Walker said the ESSERF-inspired outreach coordinator for the county’s homeless families will be in the difference-making business from the first minute of that first day.
No one is immune to homelessness, she said — even in relatively prosperous Monongalia County.
“I think people would be surprised to know we have over 350 homeless families here,” Walker said.
The new budget also offers free breakfast and lunch for all students, she said.
Once again, the district is hanging its hat on support of the excess levy.
The budget is projecting nearly $32 million brought in by real estate and personal property taxes from that measure, which typically passes by large margins in the voting booth.
A copy of the document may be viewed online. The best way to access it is by going to Google and typing “monongalia county schools proposed budget 2021” in the search field.
That will bring up the district’s Financial Services page, which has a link to the document.
BOE members hold a public hearing on the budget May 25.
TWEET@DominionPostWV
