New Laptops, Equity Administrator & More: $2.9M FPS Grant Plan

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield schools plan to use nearly $3 million in federal funds to staff after-school learning support for students who are falling behind in class, buy new laptops for high school seniors and hire an equity administrator, among other things.

The $2.88 million falls under American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding, which was provided in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and must be used by September 2024. At least 20 percent of the grant is required to address incomplete learning, according to Superintendent Mike Cummings, who said the Fairfield school district intended to use the money for student-centered endeavors.

“We need to make sure that we’re providing the social and emotional supports that they need to be successful,” Cummings told the Fairfield Board of Education at a recent meeting.

Among planned expenditures is the hiring of a diversity, equity and inclusion administrator, a position budgeted at $160,000 per year, or $480,000 for the duration of the three-year grant. The district is also allocating just over $100,000 for equity training.

The move follows several racist incidents involving Fairfield schools and students that occurred during the previous school year, including one case in which charges were brought against a 16-year-old.

“When we look at the work that has to be done to address these issues in the district, there’s a tremendous intersection of need across departments and schools and levels,” Cummings said during the July 28 meeting, adding other districts are creating similar positions. “None of us have a background in this work, none of us have training in this work.”’

The equity administrator will address issues related to racial, economic and social diversity, according to Cummings.

“If Fairfield Public Schools is truly going to be a school system that presents opportunities for all students, then we have to address the equity issues within the Fairfield Public Schools,” he said.

Board Vice Chairman Nick Aysseh confirmed the district’s plans did not involve critical race theory, while member Jennifer Maxon-Kennelly expressed support for the new administrator role.

“What’s at the core of it and the root of it is something we have been talking about for half a century in terms of achievement gap, in terms of high-needs learners,” she said. “This is not just some passing phase type of thing, this is work many people have been doing.”

Another equity-related expenditure Cummings discussed was a plan to dedicate about $485,000 to purchasing enough ProBook 450 G8 laptops for all 12th-grade students, and to redistribute the existing Chromebooks to second-graders. Chromebooks don’t provide the necessary computing power for high school students taking classes such as computer-aided design and certain advanced placement offerings, he said, adding the district will also invest in classroom desktops.

“We want to be able to make sure that all students have the ability to access a machine that can support their learning,” he said.

In addition, the district plans to spend over $530,000 to staff 42 teachers, 20 paraprofessionals and five site supervisors at a twice-weekly after-school learning opportunity at the middle and high schools. The program would run October through May, and be available for students in need of remedial attention.

Another roughly $112,000 is set aside for the air conditioning project in the sixth-grade wing of Fairfield Woods Middle School.

To view a full list of planned grant expenditures, go to bit.ly/2VEBnPV.