What do you think ACPS is doing with the pandemic recovery funds?

[Anonymous]

Driving in Old Town, Del Ray, the West End, I see businesses with outdoor tents and private schools with outdoor tents and tables for lunch and learning. What do you think that ACPS is doing with the pandemic recovery funds they received from the feds, city, and state? This week, the Alexandria Health Dept. said that they recommend outdoor lunch. Why is ACPS not implementing it? Why is the answer that it's not a long term solution from Hutchings? Of course it's not a long term solution! No one thinks that. Does anyone know how you can find out how the school district has spent the funds? I tried to look online, but no information. I imagine financial information is redacted in a FOIA request. Anyone know?

[Anonymous]

thousands and thousands of foam blocks.

[Anonymous]

Hutchings travel and entertainment stipend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hutchings travel and entertainment stipend.

They are saving it to pay for 1000s of copies of Hutchings’ forthcoming book.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:thousands and thousands of foam blocks.

This. And “SEAL,” though I’m not seeing how the funds are being used and implemented in any meaningful way. They haven’t even filled existing mental health positions that are vacant, let alone created new ones. There really needs to be an accounting for how the money is spent. Does the federal government follow up or not pay any attention once it’s been disbursed?

[Anonymous]

Sadly, not sure if there is any real accountability for the 90 million ACPS received or is slated to receive in Covid relief. I think the bulk of the funding is for more SEAL staff at the middle schools and ACHS to address the fights and students not adjusting well after not being in school for so long. I don’t believe outdoor lunch will happen. I send a portable air purifier with my kids and ask them to eat quickly.

[Anonymous]

$90 million is a lot of money. A lot.

And so far we’ve seen nothing tangible besides all the unused foam block kits from last year that are ending up in landfills. Where is the extra pay for bus drivers so kids aren’t crammed three to a seat? Where are the additional psychologists and “SEAL” related staff that students desperately need? Where are the outdoor lunch plans with tents and tables? None of this is anywhere to be found. Is the money already spent or just sitting there? How can this school district continue to be so grossly incompetent?

[Anonymous]

This is publicly reported information. Either you are too lazy to look it up or you are too dumb to understand what you're reading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:$90 million is a lot of money. A lot.

And so far we’ve seen nothing tangible besides all the unused foam block kits from last year that are ending up in landfills. Where is the extra pay for bus drivers so kids aren’t crammed three to a seat? Where are the additional psychologists and “SEAL” related staff that students desperately need? Where are the outdoor lunch plans with tents and tables? None of this is anywhere to be found. Is the money already spent or just sitting there? How can this school district continue to be so grossly incompetent?

As far as bus drivers go, nobody wants to drive buses OR be substitutes during this school year. There are massive shortages and we still have teacher positions that haven't been filled.

Unsurprisingly, no one wants to be abused, disrespected, and exposed to germy children for cents on the dollar. You can't pay people enough to do those jobs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is publicly reported information. Either you are too lazy to look it up or you are too dumb to understand what you're reading.

There is some publicly available information. But so far, what is available is too amorphous to know how the money is really being spent. If you have a link, please send it.

https://www.acps.k12.va.us/cms/lib/VA01918616/Centricity/Domain/1554/esser_iii_acps_plan.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is publicly reported information. Either you are too lazy to look it up or you are too dumb to understand what you're reading.

There is some publicly available information. But so far, what is available is too amorphous to know how the money is really being spent. If you have a link, please send it.

https://www.acps.k12.va.us/cms/lib/VA01918616/Centricity/Domain/1554/esser_iii_acps_plan.pdf

Agreed. Where are the specific breakdowns of how funds have been and will be expended? These broad categories tell us nothing and so far ACPS doesn’t have much to show for. Sumner school was a useless waste. I guess they spent some on portable HEPA filters.

[Anonymous]

I think the report gives exactly the right amount of information. We don't need to know line item information. Some of you have gone nutzo in your hate for the Superintendent.

Look at the reports from the other school systems. ACPS is on par with them and it would be a huge waste of time and money to require them to provide more than what we've got and what they're required to stipulate in their paperwork that goes back to the Fed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is publicly reported information. Either you are too lazy to look it up or you are too dumb to understand what you're reading.

There is some publicly available information. But so far, what is available is too amorphous to know how the money is really being spent. If you have a link, please send it.

https://www.acps.k12.va.us/cms/lib/VA01918616/Centricity/Domain/1554/esser_iii_acps_plan.pdf

Agreed. Where are the specific breakdowns of how funds have been and will be expended? These broad categories tell us nothing and so far ACPS doesn’t have much to show for. Sumner school was a useless waste. I guess they spent some on portable HEPA filters.

Oh, and that's the other thing ... the complaints about summer school. How can you claim that was a waste? You wanted childcare and you got childcare. You should be very happy that you got exactly what you wanted.

[Anonymous]

Maybe if we saw some tangible improvements we wouldn’t be as concerned about exactly how $90 million was being spent. But so far I’m not convinced it’s being used in meaningful ways as intended (towards safe reopening of schools). What gave you seen so far that gives you confidence as an ACPS parent about the use of these federal dollars that benefit out students? Anything besides portable HEPA filters?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is publicly reported information. Either you are too lazy to look it up or you are too dumb to understand what you're reading.

There is some publicly available information. But so far, what is available is too amorphous to know how the money is really being spent. If you have a link, please send it.

https://www.acps.k12.va.us/cms/lib/VA01918616/Centricity/Domain/1554/esser_iii_acps_plan.pdf

Agreed. Where are the specific breakdowns of how funds have been and will be expended? These broad categories tell us nothing and so far ACPS doesn’t have much to show for. Sumner school was a useless waste. I guess they spent some on portable HEPA filters.

Oh, and that's the other thing ... the complaints about summer school. How can you claim that was a waste? You wanted childcare and you got childcare. You should be very happy that you got exactly what you wanted.

Why do you keep posting about child care? Why do you want to keep defending ACPS? Summer school was a non-event (as in, it did. Not. Happen.) for many children who really needed in person it to “close the gap” between what they should have been learning and actually learned in 2020/2021. It was a joke.