Mohave Valley Elementary District

The COVID pandemic has made a significant and lasting impact on our society, particularly with our youth. The full extent of this impact is not even yet fully known, however, research and data show that the pandemic's effects include loss of learning, academics, social skills, emotional stability, and mental health. MVESD will apply the much-needed ESSER III funds to programs, innovations, and resources that will aid in closing the gaps experienced by our students.
MVSD has set aside funds to facilitate at least four years of Summer School for the district. This provides learning outside the regular calendar year to provide targeted instruction and assistance to continue closing learning gaps in perpetuity. Funds have also been set aside to upgrade our curriculum across the district to a current and research-based curriculum. This will ensure that students are receiving the most modern content to compliment best instructional practices. Further set asides, and funds within the budget, are being utilized to fund an Arizona-recognized online learning option through Mohave Valley Connections Academy as an alternative to students and families in Arizona who are not yet comfortable attending in-person instruction. The final amount of set aside is earmarked for a certified School Counselor and the programs that accompany the position. The scope of this role will be to provide ongoing support to the vast emotional and mental health needs of our youth that have been exacerbated by the COVID pandemic.
Closing gaps of learning loss caused by the COVID pandemic is at the forefront for MVESD. Experienced and highly qualified teachers and staff are the most effective instructional resources of a school district. In order to better ensure that these professionals stay with the district, ESSER funds will be utilized to provide three years of retention incentives to district employees. To supplement this objective MVESD will also apply these monies to the costs of hiring an additional certified teacher, as well as the cost of substitutes and substitute roles played by existing staff. As a measure to continuously improve and refine instructional practices, funds from ESSER III will be spent toward developing a teacher mentor system within the district. This includes a district level mentor leading mentors at each school site, who aid in supporting new teachers as well as refine the instruction of teachers equipped with all levels of experience.
Though learning loss and mental health are of critical importance to MVESD, student physical health and safety protocols are significant. The district has applied ESSER III funds to a certified HVAC technician to ensure reliable maintenance, repair, and replacement of HVAC units in an efficient and timely fashion. This will provide cleaner, better filtered air in conjunction with more comfortable room temperatures for learning and positioning. Along these lines, MVESD has also applied funding to three years of the costs of maintenance staff and PPE's recommended by the CDC. Included PPE's are thermometers, face masks, disinfectants, signage, and gloves. These efforts better ensure a safe, clean learning environment and mitigation of spreading COVID and other infectious pathogens.
The world is innovating at a rapid pace. In association, MVESD is innovating accordingly. As the district addresses innovation and a response to COVID, it is maintaining a 1:1 ratio of students equipped with a Chromebook. ESSER III assistance will provide protective cases and repair kits to ensure students may retain access to a Chromebook at all times. Beyond the hard technology, MVESD also utilized funds to purchase three years of the Google Suite. All this access to technology allows students to access lessons and academic content outside of their schools.
In respect to facilities, ESSER funds are assisting in the innovation of lighting, climate control, furniture, and security (i.e. cameras, vape sensors, alarms). Cameras on buses were also upgraded to improve student safety in transit. MVESD is also innovating the library at the junior high school by the way of transforming it into an Innovation Lab. Funds were spent here by adding interactivity through touch-screen televisions, robotics, video productions, 3-D printing, Egaming, and flexible seating. Current and interactive technology will increase student interest and participation in learning. As the district innovates space, MVJH will also be adding an outdoor learning space to catalyze additional learning opportunities and promote safe distancing and ventilation. A further space receiving innovation is the junior high school's gymnasium, which will be receiving an upgraded, wooden floor. This upgrade is expected to add interest and participation in physical activity and sports, which was significantly suppressed during the COVID pandemic.
Mohave Valley Elementary School District recognizes that the COVID pandemic had, and will continue to have, a momentous effect on our youth. In recognition that the impacts extend beyond academics, MVESD concentrated efforts on responding accordingly, by caring for the whole child.