By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
SOMERS POINT — The Somers Point Board of Education accepted an $88,786 Coronavirus Relief Fund Grant during its meeting Thursday, Oct. 15.
The money will allow the district to provide laptops to every student to work from home, board President Staci Endicott said.
“Now every student has their own device,” she said.
It also will pay for supplies needed to allow students to be in school, such as hand sanitizer, cleaning products and disposable gowns for nurses, which Endicott said are “quite expensive.”
The district had purchased all of the necessary technology in the summer but, Endicott said, one order of Chromebooks was not delivered because of problems in the supply chain.
“They had gone on back order until January,” Endicott said. “We had to scramble, cancel the order and order iPads.”
She said the iPads are more expensive than the Chromebooks but the district could not go until January without providing every student his or her own device.
She said the district distributed the Chromebooks based on need, meaning some students who had access to a home computer did not necessarily get a school-supplied device.
The district will use the iPads for the younger children because they have a touch screen and apps that are easier for them to use, Endicott said.
“As they are coming in, they are being processed by IT and we are turning them out to the younger kids,” Endicott said. “It has been an ongoing process.”
The board also approved an increase in pay for substitutes. Effective immediately through Dec. 31, the paraprofessional rate was increased to $125 per day, the teacher rate to $170 a day and the long-term rate to $200 a day.
The board also accepted the retirement of longtime kindergarten teacher Jane Leonardo, who “has been in the district many, many years.”
“We wish her well in her retirement,” Endicott said. “She is definitely going to be missed. She is the epitome of a kindergarten teacher.”
Endicott noted that two of her four children had her as a teacher.
“It is very sad to see her go. She deserves a great retirement,” Endicott said.
The board president said about 52 percent of students are attending school using the hybrid method and 48 percent are completely remote. She said parents had to make that decision over the summer and that more students may choose either option for the second trimester, which starts Dec. 7. Endicott said parents must notify the district by Nov. 23 if they intend to change.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if more people are comfortable with sending their kids back,” she said, speculating that the large percentage of remote-only students “was indicative of the time when parents had to make a decision.”