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The Examiner U-46 News Feed

U-46 to use bailout funds to purchase backpacks


By Seth Hancock
  School District U-46 is working on plans to allow students to pick up belongings from schools while also planning to use federal bailout funds to purchase backpacks as the COVID-19 shutdown continues.
  In a statement last week, Superintendent Tony Sanders said that distance learning is “our new normal” and noted that Friday, May 1 and Monday, May 4 will be non-attendance days with already schedule professional development days on the calendar, and Wednesday, May 27 will be the final day for attendance.
  Details on allowing students to collect belongings, events such as graduation, summer school and how students with an “incomplete” will be handled are still being worked out.
  “Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of answers right now,” Sanders said at the Monday, April 20 Board of Education meeting held electronically. He added: “We are working on plans, but we will not be doing anything urgently in that area because we want to honor the hold in place to the best of our ability recognizing that we, at some point, we’ve got to let kids come in and get their items out of their lockers and so forth.”
  Regarding graduation, it is tentatively scheduled for July 11 at the Sears Centre.
  “That’s if we’re able to actually have an in-person graduation,” Sanders said. “If we’re not, we’ve got contingencies to do an online, virtual graduation.”
  Spring sports athletics fees are being reimbursed with the cancellation of the season. Sanders stated: “Spring athletic fees that were paid by credit card have already been refunded. All others will be processed as soon as possible.”
  Dale Burnidge, director of financial operations, said the district is expecting some delays in receiving certain funds, like categorical, saying “the state shutdown is going to delay the tax revenue collections for the State of Illinois.”
  Sue Kerr, the board’s president, said that some counties are considering delaying property tax payments. Burnidge said “we do have enough cash on the summary sheet” for about 154 days.
  Kerr asked about federal funding from the recently approved CARES Act. That act was the largest spending bill in world history totaling over $6 trillion between spending and money printing, and its stated goal was to help Americans, primarily in the private sector, who have lost their jobs due to the government shutting down the economy as nearly 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment.
  However, government schools will be receiving funds through the act and Burnidge said U-46 expects to receive $7.7 million. Sanders said that was a preliminary estimate based on the Illinois State Board of Education’s calculations, but it did not include what private and charter schools will receive. Whatever taxpayer money received from the act will have to be spent by September 2021.
  The first expected purchase with those funds is $39,000 with School Specialty to purchase backpacks with items, such as scissors and construction paper, inside for preschools students. The district has been giving taxpayer funded Chromebooks and iPads to all other students for distance learning, and Sanders said this was a way to give preschool students educational supplies during the lockdown.
  Board member Eva Porter said some of the supplies in the backpacks are consumable and asked if the district will provide more supplies when they run out to which Peggy Ondera, director of early learning initiatives, said: “Right now, this is a starting point for us.”
  Board member Melissa Owens asked if instructions will be included in the backpacks for parents to know how to use the items which staff said there will be a guide included. Owens said the purchase is “of interest to get these out.”
  Along with the technology and backpacks, the district has handed out taxpayer funded meals (breakfasts, lunches, dinners) and snacks to students. Via social media, Sanders stated as of April 23 that 634,467 meals and 211,489 snacks have been distributed.

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