Tag: american rescue plan

The American Rescue Plan, signed into law in March 2021, provided $350 billion in funding for state and local governments to build an equitable economic recovery from the devastating economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the nearly $9 billion allocated for New York state, Fort Plain CSD has received $4,235,088 in American Rescue Plan relief funding over the past three years. The district has used the funding strategically and in alignment with the guidance issued from the New York Education Department to coordinate COVID-19 mitigation efforts and to address learning loss and the inequities experienced by low income families. View Fort Plain CSD’s American Rescue Fund Plan.

Along with safely returning students to in-person instruction as of Fall 2021, the American Rescue Plan funding has provided us with the financial means to:

• Recruit and hire a second School Counselor and a Mental Health Counselor. Supporting the social and emotional wellness for all school community members was a stated goal of our plan and aligns with one of the district’s enduring goals. The district has developed long range plans to be able to financially sustain the new positions, ensuring this continued social and emotional learning and support in our schools.
• Expand programming that benefits all. While the district has traditionally offered summer learning programs, the American Rescue Plan funding allowed us to expand programming this summer to offer a math and literacy camp, Hilltopper Athletic Camp, technology camps at both the elementary and the secondary levels, a Middle School Intervention Program and a Credit Recovery Program.
• Mitigate the damages incurred by the national shutdown. Many grades were unable to fund raise during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving them with the thought that long time traditions, such as year-end trips and celebrations, would have to be canceled. In the past two years, the district has paid for the transportation for the Senior Trip, thus significantly decreasing the personal cost of the trip for all seniors who wanted to participate. Recognizing the negative impact social distancing and living in isolation had for so many of our learners, the district also added funding to each grade level to bolster options for field trips options for all.
• Make improvements to our facilities to improve the school experience for our students, including renovations to the Technology Lab in the Jr./Sr. High School and to the Fitness Center and Athletic Complex.

As the district plans for the future, we continue to think about the best ways we can promote the development of the skills and knowledge that will best prepare our students for success… now and beyond graduation. While classroom learning is one important route toward this goal, we place equal value on offering enriching experiences that will help our students explore and grow their personal interests and aspirations, and foster pride in being a Topper.

The feedback gathered from formal and, more casually, in one-on-one conversations with our students, staff and others in our Fort Plain community have helped and continue to inform the set of enduring goals we use each day to guide us. View the full list of district goals for 2023-24. 

We thank you for your continued support, suggestions and the trust you place in us as educators!