Substantial additional compensation for those teachers who prove most effective by the measure of student growth and for those who double as coaches for their colleagues are two methods that have been successfully implemented in one district.
Big bucks could be headed toward academic acceleration, special education and Title I schools in the 2024 education budget unveiled by President Joe Biden this week—but its outlook is dim in the face of a Republican-controlled House of Representatives and a sharply divided Congress.
"I have made it my personal mission to maximize our district resources and seek to grow our tax base for the future," says Jason Snodgrass of his efforts to help his community thrive.
ESSER funds have contributed to 66% of job openings since the height of the pandemic in 2020, yet hires have only risen by 38%. Districts are creating jobs faster than they can fill them.
"Who was I to think that I could tell them what they needed or wanted in their own community?" says Dr. Margaret Crespo, superintendent of Laramie County School District-1 in Wyoming. Using this mindset, she now has a living, adaptable strategic plan.
Committing to the whole student is how K12 schools can and will remain the key to democracy in America, Superintendent Trent North says. "When our students graduate, they must not only be academically sound, but we must ensure they are socially and emotionally ready to leave their impact on the world."
