Jefferson C-123 prepares to upgrade education technology | News

Additionally, Jermain said the district will take advantage of the newly approved $7.17 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund through the Federal Communications Commission’s E-Rate program. The district had already been using E-Rate for the school’s internet. The FCC program helps schools and libraries with funding for affordable broadband internet.

Passed as part of the American Rescue Plan Act this year, the Emergency Connectivity Fund expands the E-Rate program to allow for expenditures that will help students and teachers with home learning, like Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, laptops or tablets.

Jermain said the program will reimburse the district up to $400 per device. He said Jefferson will purchase Chromebooks for students in grades 6-10, which will be completely covered by the per-device funding. The district will also purchase some laptops for teachers, which will be only partially funded by the program.

And third, Jermain said Jefferson will take part in a pilot program through the University of Missouri’s Enhancing Missouri’s Instructional Networked Teaching Strategies (eMINTS) National Center that will provide funding for participating districts to teach fifth grade students computer coding skills through creating video games.

According to a press release from the university, the $3.9 million grant project — funded through the U.S. Department of Education — will partner with rural Missouri school districts, providing training to teachers with the aim of getting students interested in STEM careers.

“Not only is STEM education a big push in the educational landscape right now, but we also need to figure out how to motivate and excite students to want to learn more about these topics,” said Carla Chaffin, the grant’s primary investigator and instructional consultant with the eMINTS National Center, in a February press release. “The grant will allow students to create their own video games and simulations that align with math and science curriculum while teaching computer coding skills.”

Jermain said two teachers from the district are set to go through 60-hour trainings to teach the course, and fifth graders will spend their first semester creating a Frogger-like game. The grant will also provide Chromebooks to the fifth grade students, he said.

The district posted its Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan to its website earlier this month, as all districts that aim to receive the latest round of federal funding reimbursements were required to do.

The reopening plan reverts most COVID protocols to pre-2020 standards. Students will still be allowed to wear masks if they wish, and the school will provide them for students if needed. Students who show COVID-19 symptoms at school may also be required to wear a mask and isolated until they go home. Additionally, water fountains are still tentatively set to be turned off during the school year, but that could change going forward. Jermain said the district will check in with the Nodaway County Health Department closer to the start of school to determine if any adjustments are needed.

He also noted that although the district will continue to provide remote learning opportunities for students who are quarantined because of COVID-19, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will not allow those students to be counted as present in attendance figures this upcoming school year. Jermain noted the move was likely to deter some other districts across the state that were less likely to move forward with in-person classes from leaning on remote learning.

Other Jefferson C-123 notes

• District officials are looking into price points for possible improvements to the softball field, including potentially moving the outfield fence in, putting in a new backstop and re-grading parts of the field.
• Last year’s budget will come in about $103,000 in the black, Jermain said, and the figure could continue to rise slightly as the final figures are tabulated.
• Enrollment for next year at the elementary is projected at 84, which would be the highest since 2010, Jermain said.
• The district is preparing to put together another long-range planning committee to look at future plans for the district, as has been done in the past. Previous committees have been made up of a combination of school board members, officials, parents, students and other stakeholders.
• The board approved a co-op with South Nodaway for boys cross country next year, pending approval by the South Nodaway Board of Education and MSHSAA.
• The board approved a one-time, $500 fee to join LAUNCH, an online education program based out of the Springfield school district. Jermain said the program would provide opportunities for students at Jefferson to take classes that are not available at the district, like more advanced classes for students who may be ahead of their peers in some subjects.
• The board approved the hiring of Stephanie Chor as PAT Educator and Kaylin LaMaster as junior high assistant softball coach for the 2021-2022 school year.
• The board will skip its July meeting, with the next meeting scheduled for Aug. 18 at 6 p.m. in the school library.
• A tax rate hearing has been scheduled for 6 p.m. Aug. 25. Jermain said the district had been advised by the county assessor’s office to hold the hearing as late as possible to ensure accurate assessments from wind farms. The tax rate must be set by the end of August.