Another round of COVID relief funds is allowing the Warren County R-III School District to address two concerns that directly impact a large number of students. Board members voted to allocate $320,000, split evenly toward a pair of causes during their monthly meeting on March 11.

The approved measures include the expansion of bus routes back to the previous pickup range of 1 mile or more from buildings, as well as technological allowances to help with virtual learning needs.

Funding for these moves will come from the second round of COVID-19 relief funds, known as ESSER-II Funds, received by school districts. R-III has been allocated $2,164,471.

“Thanks to those stimulus funds, we have some money that will allow us to provide these changes for next year,” said R-III Superintendent Dr. Gregg Klinginsmith.

The district had opted to cut back bus pickup routes to those living 2.5 miles or further from buildings prior to the 2020-21 school year, as part of a plan to trim the budget. However, concerns arose among board members about the increasing amount of traffic around campus locations before and after school.

“With so many students not receiving bus service, it really increased the number of parents picking up and dropping off,” said board member John Clinger. “It really becomes a safety issue with parents waiting in line and students who may be walking.”

The district has also received feedback from parents, who reported their children were forced to learn virtually as a result of not being able to get to the school building.

“A good majority of our virtual students are not achieving, and we need to get those kids back in the building,” said board member Franci Schwartz. “Families having to choose virtual because they can’t get their kids to school is just not acceptable.”

Board member Ginger Schenck echoed those sentiments.

“We can’t really educate students if we can’t get them to school,” said Schenck. “The reason I’m okay with (approving the busing expansion) is because it impacts a large amount of students, and it was one of our first cuts. Those kids really need to be in school. That’s the best and safest place for them.”

Schenck added that she believes the board should address reinstating spending in the order it was originally cut.

The return of bus routes from a 2.5-mile to a 1-mile radius will affect approximately 400 students, according to Klinginsmith. He said to efficiently meet busing needs, it would be ideal to add an additional eight bus drivers.

“Our biggest challenge for this is going to be finding drivers to drive buses,” said Klinginsmith. “If anybody is looking to drive, we will train them and get them ready to drive.”

Approval for technological needs will include the purchase of additional Chromebooks and costs for Google educational programming.

“As virtual learning has increased, the work of the school day has increased technologically, with a lot of the classwork being done on computers,” said Klinginsmith. “We just need to have that resource for kids so we can optimize our learning options.”

The board also discussed additional ways to allocate the relief funds, including toward an interventionist to help with COVID-related learning gaps and a mental health professional. Those positions were not taken to vote but rather tabled for future discussion. 

“There’s about $600,000 that’s still remaining to be allocated and that will be decided at a later date,” said Klinginsmith. “At this point, we will hold it for a few months and see how things shape up.”