NOTICE: ESSER (Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief) III Stakeholder Feedback Results

As part of the ESSER III application process, the Montana Office of Public Instruction and Federal Department of Education are asking each school district to prioritize its needs (to be met with ESSER III dollars) based on input from its stakeholders. A survey was released to the Miles City community July 29th, and respondents were given until August 6th to complete the survey and submit. The priorities outlined by the District in the survey were selected based on the criteria which must be met to expend ESSER dollars. Attached are slides indicating the results of the survey. 

The Miles City Unified School District has already taken measures to begin meeting the needs prioritized by our community. Some of those measures include:
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1. For the priority of providing a safe learning environment, continued cleaning protocols remain in place and products have been purchased; though masks will be optional in the coming school year, cloth masks for students and staff are available upon request; safety/crisis plans have been reviewed and updated; ALICE training and new district trainers are in the works, and we are working with public health for a grant that would allow our district to be staffed with a school nurse(s). 

2. For the priority of providing adequate and appropriate learning materials for students and staff, curriculum and professional development opportunities have already been provided in the areas of 6-8 Math, 3-6 Reading/Literacy, K-12 Writing/Global Literacy, 8 Social Studies, and updates to the special education curriculum. Additional curriculum and professional development will follow as continued horizontal and vertical alignment at all grades levels and content areas is established. 

3. For the priority of addressing mental health needs of students and staff, the District is working on bringing
Trauma-Informed Training to all staff, improving the District required suicide prevention training for new and returning staff, investing in new Social Emotional Learning curriculum, and making counselors available throughout our District schools. 

4. For the priority of ensuring nutritional needs of students are met, the District has applied and will continue with free breakfasts and lunches for ALL K-12 students for the entirety of the 2021-22 school year. 

The next step of the application process is due August 24th. As we complete the application process, updates are being posted to Facebook and the District website.