Indian Creek schools will add staff, buy buses and improve sanitation measures with more than $1.4 million from the federal government.
The money is from the third installment of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, passed by Congress and signed into law in March. Along with $1,400 direct payments for most adults making less than $75,000, it provided money to private businesses and public institutions, such as schools.
Local school districts received anywhere from $1.4 million to $4.8 million from the federal relief package, according to the Indiana Department of Education.
Indian Creek set aside 20% of its CARES Act III funding for remedial education, for students who may have fallen behind in school during the pandemic. Of Indian Creek’s CARES Act allocation, which is based on a school’s population and the level of financial need in the district, $286,968 will go to remedial education under the current plan, according to school district documents.
School officials will hire a middle school math remediation teacher, remediation software and remediation assistants. The plan includes additional money for teachers who tutor students outside of school hours, said Andy Cline, assistant superintendent.
Remediation assistants work with students individually, looking at curriculum and outlining students’ strengths and weaknesses and what they need to improve on, Cline said.
Everything school officials plan to do with the money is subject to federal approval, and amounts might be adjusted by the time the money comes in, which could be as early as July, he said.
Almost $370,000 of the money will be spent on sanitation under Indian Creek’s plan. That includes some things that were needed during the pandemic specifically, such as a Clorox 360 machine. Other items are key for the district moving forward. More than $258,000 will be spent to upgrade the HVAC system, which accounts for heating, ventilation and air conditioning throughout the school district’s three buildings, according to the district’s plan.
The largest chunk of money — more than $383,000 — will go toward a myriad of equipment items throughout the school district. The 30 items listed include desks, chairs, science tables, water bottle fillers, a digital microscope and more than $120,000 worth of desktops, among other items, according to the plan.
Another significant chunk — $264,000 — will be spent on transportation. Of that, $105,000 will pay for a 78-passenger school bus; $62,000 will go toward an athletic bus; and $97,000 will pay for bus cameras, which will be used for security and contact tracing purposes, Cline said.
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Indian Creek’s plan for CARES Act III allocation
Note: This plan is subject to federal approval. Amounts may change.
Remediation: $286,968. This category covers teachers, assistants and software that help students recover from learning loss they may have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Various equipment: $383,663. This category covers a myriad of items, including chairs, desks, science tables, a microscope and teacher lounge furniture.
Remedial assistant: $36,000. This category covers one remedial assistant’s salary and benefits.
Restrooms: $22,670. This money will go toward funding additional bathroom stalls at Indian Creek Intermediate School.
Nursing: $2,746. This category covers nursing equipment and furniture.
Phone system and inventory: $69,500. This category covers support for the district’s phone system, along with its capital assets.
Sanitation: $369,292. This money will go toward sanitation equipment and HVAC improvements.
Transportation: $264,000. This money will fund two buses and bus cameras.
Total CARES Act Allocation: $1,434,839
Source: Indian Creek schools.
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