Thanks to federal funds received to assist the district and its students recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, school supplies required for students in grades K4 through sixth grade will be provided by the district for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year.
When students return to school on August 4, all supplies will be at the school and available for use.
Backpacks, lunchboxes, and school uniforms will not be provided by the district.
“The additional funding due to the global pandemic related to COVID has been and continues to be a blessing for small school districts like WMCSD,” said Dr. Teresa Jackson, Superintendent of Education, at a press conference Wednesday at Winona Elementary School. “We are able to offer our students and their families resources that have not been possible for us in the past.”
WMCSD received ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund) Funding to prevent, prepare, and respond to needs directly or indirectly related to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the current state of the economy, especially the continued rise in cost of goods, using ESSER funds to purchase school supplies for students at Winona Elementary School will provide essential financial relief for district families.
The total investment of supplying 638 students at Winona Elementary School with all supplies for the entire school year is approximately $80,000.
“We are truly thankful for the additional funds that were allocated to our district through ESSER,” said Rana Mitchell, Assistant Superintendent. “We are excited about the myriad of benefits our students and teachers have gained and continue to gain from these initiatives."