Havre schools release COVID fund survey results

Havre Public Schools is working on its Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund plans based in part on results from a community survey which seem to indicate the community’s priorities lie in addressing learning loss, safety and emotional health, and access to technology.

This survey was opened last month and was an attempt to gauge the community’s priorities when it comes to how HPS would spend the $7 million in COVID-19 relief money held in the ESSER Fund.

HPS Superintendent Craig Mueller said the school system needs to submit a plan to the Montana Office of Public Instruction for how they plan to use these funds over the next few years and data obtained from this survey will be vital in creating a prioritization list for how money will be spent.

Based on data Mueller gave to the Havre Daily News, data that will likely be made available on the HPS website later this week, nearly all respondents were either students or the parent of a student, around 30 percent of respondents were teachers and almost as many were staff.

The survey asked respondents a number of questions including what groups of students should be the primary targets of these funds.

At-risk students and those in danger of not graduating seemed to be at the top of the community’s priority list with 88 percent and 77 percent of respondents saying they should be prioritized, respectively.

Students between housing situations and homeless students were also prioritized by more than half of respondents.

English language learners and American Indian students received less focus with 25 percent and 37 percent of respondents prioritizing them respectively.

As for what issues money should be spent on, the spread of responses was more even with increasing access to updated technology being voted for by 70 percent of respondents and trauma-informed practices being voted for by 48 percent of respondents.

All other areas including wireless internet access, food assistance, professional development for teachers, social-emotional learning, and parent support fell between these issues with the latter two having slightly less support than the others.

When asked about their personal experiences and what they think the most immediate and urgent needs of the district are respondents overwhelmingly indicated that instruction of at-risk students and the quality of said instruction where what they though was most important, though social and emotional support and student and teacher motivation were also identified as issues of immediate import.

When asked about longer-term issues for the district to address respondents prioritized staff and student mental health, academic support, reducing absences, and providing safe and healthy school environments. A sizable minority of respondents also voiced their support for extended learning programs, hiring new staff and purchasing sanitization equipment.

Mueller said he’s happy that the survey got 146 respondents, but he is always hoping for more when it comes to things like this.

He said the district’s plan, which will be informed by this data, must be submitted to OPI by Aug. 20, but they will have an opportunity to amend it.

He also said in a previous interview that there will be an opportunity for the public to register their comments if they missed the survey.