School district maps out a plan on how to spend relief money

The Hamtramck Public School District has a number of plans on how to spend federal financial assistance coming this way. One of the goals is to eliminate the portable classrooms at Kosciuszko Middle School.

 

By Charles Sercombe
The Hamtramck Public School District has big plans on how to spend its portion of President Biden’s COVID-19 relief bill.
About $35 million worth of plans.
In Biden’s first $1.9 trillion financial aid package, some of which was carved out for schools across the nation.
There is an additional $2 trillion aid package pending in congress, although getting that approval is going to take a lot of arm twisting for the Biden administration, because most Republicans in the senate – and even a few Democrats – have been opposed to it.
Those who object to the proposal say that it is too big and too expensive. Biden counters that it is about creating jobs.
The school district recently approved plans on to how spend the financial aid coming to HPS.
As of now, the district will spend the equivalent of $15,000 per student.
High on the to-do list includes: installing air conditioning and heating systems, and new windows for the district’s mostly very old schools.
Holbrook Elementary School, for example, is over 100 years old.
“The pandemic has only heightened the need for improvements to our facilities,” said school Superintendent Jaleelah Ahmed said in a statement on the district’s Facebook page.
“Being one of only 12 states that does not receive any capital for large infrastructural projects forces school districts to go back to our communities. I have expressed this concern with many state leaders, and am so grateful to hear that we will receive relief funds that will allow us to update our buildings.”
State officials will have the final say on how the money can be spent. Federal officials want to make sure the financial aid doesn’t take the place of existing dollars going to districts.
The district previously attempted to get voter approval for a multi-million-dollar bond that would have gone to updating existing buildings, and also to funding the construction of a new school building.
Voters rejected the proposal, and Ahmed said she has no plans at this time to attempt another proposal.
“As many of you know, we had a bond proposal that did not pass last year, and understanding the challenges of our families we didn’t want to go for another bond,” Ahmed said.
One of the key areas that the district wants to concentrate on, with this proposed funding, is getting rid of the temporary classroom trailers parked outside of Kosciuszko Middle School.
Those single-room classrooms have long been an issue with district officials. They were installed about 20 years ago, and were considered temporary until either a new school building could be constructed, or the district could lease a building suitable for education.
Temporary turned into permanent.
“One of the priorities for me as the superintendent of HPS has been to eliminate the used portables that house 250 students and staff,” Ahmed said in her statement.
District officials have also long complained that Michigan is one of 12 states that does not allocate building improvement funds to districts. That has led to Hamtramck having to deal with constant repairs – which often amount to temporary patch work.
Building repairs are not the only thing that the district will concentrate on improving if the relief funding comes through.
“In addition, to improved facilities, we are seeking to expand programming for our students,” Ahmed said.
Posted April 30, 2021

One Response to School district maps out a plan on how to spend relief money

  1. Ryan Knapp

    January 8, 2022 at 7:57 pm

    How come money the money wasn’t used for a new filtration system? Or daily disinfecting the schools?

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