Story by ADRIANNE WALLINE CAMPBELL
The Walton County School Board held its regular meeting on Dec. 16, 2021, at the Tivoli Complex in DeFuniak Springs.
Technology assistance from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER II) Fund under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act was approved. $424,201.00 was awarded from the Florida Department of Education.
The Technology Assistance allocation is for the costs associated with purchasing educational technology, including hardware, software, and connectivity, for students that aid in regular and substantive educational interaction between students and their classroom teacher, including low-income students and students with disabilities which may include assistive technology or adaptive equipment.
Funding in the amount of $18,489.96 was provided by the Federal Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, for K-12 Civics Literacy Booklist Project.
This is intended to prepare students to become civically engaged and knowledgeable adults who make positive contributions to their communities. Florida’s new Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking, B.E.S.T., English Language Arts (ELA) Standards became the first in the nation to include a K-12 civic literacy booklist, and with this funding the FDOE will help Local Educational Agencies, LEAs buy directly from this list. The purpose of this program is to help LEAs buy directly from the K-12 civic literacy booklist. Through funding awarded by the Florida Department of Education, school districts must purchase books from the K-12 civic literacy booklist. Books must be purchased in accordance with the booklist prioritization chart.
The school board discussed the Walton County project to build a Walton Road sidewalk and asphalt path that would begin at Hwy 83 and end at 20th Street. Phase One would begin in front of the Walton High School, WISE Center, and Maintenance/Transportation, which would include a 5’ sidewalk on the South side, and an 8’ bike path on the North side of Walton Road, ending at Hwy 83.
Monies have already been allocated for Phase One, but Phase Two hasn’t been funded yet. The county wishes to enter into an agreement with the school board for an easement in front of the high school. The school board, however, feels that the money would be better spent building this project from the high school, West to 20th Street first. Many more students live in that direction that currently walk to school. The county would be obligated to maintain it. Bids are being accepted on the county website until Feb. 9, 2022.
The school board approved the Ten-Year Redistricting Map 23A after its being approved by the Walton County Board of County Commissioners. Approval needed to be done before the end of the year; the redistricting was based on the 2020 Census. Total Population of Walton County was 73,470, optimal population for each district: 14,694.