Feb. 3—The Tennessee Department of Education has approved the Cumberland County Schools application to use $15 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds, including construction projects at Cumberland County High School and South Cumberland Elementary.
"We've never been able to use federal money for these types of projects," said Director of Schools Ina Maxwell.
The bulk of the funds, about $9.5 million, are budgeted to build an auditorium at CCHS and renovate South Cumberland Elementary to remove portable classrooms, replace exterior doors and update bathrooms.
The rest of the money will allow the school system to continue the salary of a district-wide learning loss coordinator, learning loss interventionists in each school, instructional supplies, participation in the TN All Corps Tutoring program and summer learning programs in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
The approval follows a complaint filed by Teresa Boston, 8th District representative on the Cumberland County Board of Education. Boston's complaint alleged violations of federal law and school board policies in the development of the ESSER 3 budget and said members of the board were not permitted adequate time to review the application before it was submitted to the state.
Boston filed the complaint in her capacity as a private citizen.
An investigation found the school system needed to engage a greater percentage of students and families in the needs assessment, a task completed and returned on Jan. 5.
Other allegations were not substantiated by the investigation.
Termed ESSER 3.0, the $15 million in funding is the third round of federal relief earmarked for schools during the ongoing pandemic through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund.
Cumberland County received $1.7 million in the first round of funding and $6.7 million in the second round.
The first grant was used to purchase equipment and supplies used in the 2020-21 school year to reopen schools — thermal scanners, thermometers, personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies. It also purchased technology to allow for virtual learning and helped cover increased expenses in substitute pay and unemployment compensation.
The second round helped provide a one-time bonus for school personnel, paid in the spring of 2021, and to hire a learning loss coordinator and 12 interventionists. It is also funding some school improvements, including outdoor learning areas, playgrounds, bleachers, window and door replacements and replacement and repair of HVAC equipment at schools. These projects are budgeted at $3.9 million.
Though not required, the school system did conduct a needs assessment for ESSER 2.
ESSER 3 was authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act approved in March 2021, with $122 billion in ESSER funding for schools across the country.
The board approved the proposed budget and grant application during its Aug. 26 meeting.
Boston voiced her concerns with the budget development process during the meeting.
"This board has no input on how those funds are spent," she said in August. "We haven't had the first meeting to discuss any expenditures."
A key component of the ESSER 3 funding requirements was a needs assessment. Maxwell said various groups were surveyed to identify needs and priorities.
The board was emailed July 14 and invited to participate in a stakeholder survey. That closed July 28.
On Aug. 20, results of that survey were emailed to board members along with a note they could discuss those results with the federal programs office in greater detail at their convenience.
"It's not what Ina Maxwell wants. It's what that needs assessment determined. That's why the summary was sent out last week," Maxwell said in August.
"I will not sit here and let anyone think that I have not done my job."
In her complaint, Boston said the school board received the completed grant application six hours before the meeting where the board would consider its approval, and that Maxwell had not been transparent or provided enough information to the board to make an informed decision on the needs assessment process.
"I, as a stakeholder and Board of Education member, have continuously asked questions regarding the expenditures of the ESSER 3.0 grant in order to make an informed decision and the Director of Schools continuously failed to provide such information," Boston wrote in the complaint submitted Sept. 30.
Investigators wrote they were unable to corroborate the allegation, citing numerous emails, meeting minutes, budget meeting minutes and documents that showed proof of response to specific questions asked.
They also found that board members received the completed application the morning of Aug. 26, about eight hours before the scheduled meeting at 6 p.m., and that meeting minutes, emails and interviews with board Chairman Jim Inman and Maxwell reflected regular updates about ESSER grants.
Board members were also invited to meet with Maxwell on several occasions, including an Aug. 20 invitation to discuss ESSER 3.0 and the needs assessment. Boston stated she did not meet with Maxwell following the Aug. 20 invitation.
The board had almost a week to review the data and information on the grant, the investigator said.
Boston said the school system received the grant application in May 2021, but that Maxwell kept saying the restrictions and requirements were "ever-changing."
The state said that department guidance on ESSER funds had changed and that the application was "paused" due to changes to the law.
Once the surveys were complete, Boston said Maxwell did not follow board policies regarding approval of expenditures of the grant funds.
The investigators found the board had approved the budget Aug. 26 and submitted it to the state on Aug. 27.
"If the CCBOE budgetary request failed to comply with the CCBOE policy for approval, then it should be assumed that the CCBOE would not have approved the budget," investigators wrote.
Boston said Maxwell relied heavily on a five-page survey completed by various community stakeholders to develop the ESSER 3.0 budget, but said the director failed to engage stakeholders and working groups in "meaningful consultation."
Boston also alleged funding priorities, like construction of an auditorium at CCHS, was suggested as an expenditure.
The investigation found no evidence to support the auditorium was suggested to individuals completing the survey; however, the state did find the school system needed to increase the percentage of stakeholders engaged.
The results of the additional surveys could change the priorities identified in the grant application, investigators said, adding the board would need to revise its application.
Initial student surveys garnered about 100 responses.
During November, the school system worked to garner more student feedback and engagement.
Two classrooms from two grade levels were randomly selected at each school. The same survey sent out in August was used, with a final total of 1,087 student responses, about 15% of the 7,161 students enrolled in the school system.
In December, the school system reposted the public survey for parents and families to complete, with messages sent to parents through the Skylert Remind system.
This garnered 276 additional responses, for a total of 760 parent/family surveys, surpassing the 10% requirement.
"Feedback from both stakeholder groups remained consistent with the feedback gathered in August 2021," Maxwell wrote in a response to the state with the additional survey documentation.
"The only 'top' choice in the feedback from November/December that was not found in the original feedback was tutoring. That will be accounted for in the TN All Corps and with the ESSER 3.0 funds that are required to be used to address learning loss."
In addition to the student and family surveys, the school system also received surveys and held focus groups with school leaders, educators and school staff. There were 138 surveys received from educators and 73 responses from school staff.
Under elected officials and school board members, the school system reported 27 individuals engaged and 21 responses received through surveys and office hours.
Conferences, phone calls and surveys were also distributed to students with disabilities, English learners, homeless students, children in foster care, migratory students and underserved students and their families.
The survey asked individuals to rank items by their importance from 1 to 5, with 5 being the most important. The final survey found 72.4% believed facility improvements to be the most important topic, followed by 69.8% seeking high-quality instructional materials.
A second section offered an opportunity to provide a narrative with specific responses. Those were reviewed by hand, but included fewer responses. There were 16 responses specifically mentioning an auditorium for CCHS and 16 comments for overall facility improvements, upgrades or additions. Thirteen people asked for additional teachers, teaching assistants and staff.
The ESSER 3 application was approved by the state Jan. 25. Funds must be spent by June 30, 2024.
The school board's ESSER committee met Tuesday to review requests for proposals for engineering services for ESSER 2 projects — playgrounds, outdoor learning areas, bleacher replacements, HVAC repairs and replacements and window and door replacements.
The committee recommended Upland Design from the three companies that responded, citing their knowledge of the school system and that they are a local company.
However, the committee questioned why they were not able to compare the proposed cost for each business. As a professional service, the board selects a company and then negotiates fees, which follow industry standards, Kacee Harris, chief financial officer, explained.
The committee also recommended a change to the ESSER 3.0 budget to include engineering and architectural costs. The amendment will remove $750,000 for HVAC replacements and repairs to pay for those costs. That matter was sent to the board's budget committee to review.
Heather Mullinix is editor of the Crossville Chronicle. She covers schools and education in Cumberland County. She may be reached at hmullinix@crossville-chronicle.com.
