May LM 2019 Special Issue_press

Series Conclusion

... cont’d.

Southern Super Region

Benton CCSD #47

Belleville TWP HSD #201

Enrollment: 1,159 FY18: $501,856 Type: preK–8 FY19: $333,450

Enrollment: 4,696 FY18: $2.4 million Type: 9–12 FY19: $2.3 million

Safety, social-emotional supports and curriculum and instruction were the areas Benton CCSD #47 focused on with its Evidence- Based Funding dollars, Dr. Stephen Smith said. In FY 18, Benton CCSD #47 used EBF dollars to hire a school resource officer and additional social worker. As a result, Smith said, the district immediately developed a risk assessment team to be able to better respond to a crisis. “Safety is everyone’s top priority, so we felt we needed to add that level and be able to quickly assess a situation or get students help prior to anything happening,” he said. Benton CCSD #47 also hired teachers, purchased new curriculum and expanded technology. To address enrollment and scheduling issues, a middle school math teacher immediately came on board. Seventh grade Advanced Math and Algebra I at the 8th grade level were added in 2018-19. Moving forward, the plan is to add another science and ELA teacher at the middle school for the 2019-20 school year. The additional science teacher will allow the district to expand its STEM offerings, including a new robotics class. In addition, the district used EBF dollars to purchase a new middle school science curriculum. The reading curriculum is currently being reviewed and will be updated next school year. “It became pretty our clear reading curriculum was something that needed to be addressed,” Smith said. “Our teachers did what good teachers do when resources are cut. They pulled, shared, and developed their own. However, it created a situation where we had some holes. We are now moving toward a curriculum that is sequential and well aligned in grades K–8.

All plans on how to utilize EBF dollars are focused around students, superintendent Jeff Dosier said. The district is using EBF to maintain class sizes and update its instructional materials for students, which were outdated. Increasing social and emotional supports for students is also a priority, Dosier added. The district is in the process of providing additional mental health resources for students. Other ways the district is using EBF includes adding two more sections of AVID at each high school. AVID helps students with average grades develop higher-level thinking skills and become better organized. Dollars have also been used to revitalize the district’s agriculture program and increased offerings for students interested in pursuing a career in the medical field, Dosier said. “We always had big plans and dreams of what it would be like to offer more, and the evidence-based funding allows us to say how are we going to do that in the most effective way to reach the most students efficiently and powerfully,” he said. But because of years of pro-ration from the state, Dosier added, some of the dollars were needed to help balance the budget. “It gives us breathing room, and we don’t stress as much,” he said.

Safety is everyone’s top priority, so we felt we needed to add that level and be able to quickly assess a situation or get students help prior to anything happening . — Dr. Stephen Smith, Benton CCSD #47

24 LMMay 2019 Special Edition