On Wednesday, the Clark County School District (CCSD) will release a draft community vision and spending priorities for $777 million in federal relief dollars we expect to receive through the American Rescue Plan (ARP).

Your feedback during this time is vital to ensure we are responding to our children's needs as a result of the pandemic, during what is one of the most difficult times in the history of public education. Please take 10 minutes between September 1 and September 7 to go to future.ccsd.net and provide your perspective. 

Why does community engagement for this plan matter so much? While we have three years to spend these funds, I have a sincere hope the dollars will kick off a shared community vision for our schools that will endure much longer.

While districts have some flexibility on how to spend these federal funds, we are directed to use them to return students safely to the classroom, and to mitigate disruptions to teaching and learning resulting from the pandemic - especially for students who need the most support.

These draft priorities are based on input we received from more than 2,000 students, employees, parents, and community members. We partnered with more than 100 community organizations to ask participants: What do you want to see in our schools? And how can we spend these federal dollars to jumpstart that community vision?

It’s that draft community vision that I am asking you to review on future.ccsd.net. 

These funds represent the largest infusion of federal dollars in CCSD’s history - and an opportunity to accelerate success for our students whose lives have been disrupted over the past 18 months. 

High-level trends from our student data show lower overall levels of academic achievement, especially among our students from traditionally underserved communities. A smaller percentage of our 2020 graduates went on to college last fall, and we project 2021 graduation rates are likely to drop after steady improvement over the past several years. 

Another challenge is the shortage of teachers, bus drivers and other critical CCSD educators this year. This is a national concern that has been accelerated by COVID. Enrollment in teacher prep programs nationally has seen sharp declines since 2010. We need to wrap our students and educators in support now. 

I am heartened that our community is pulling together to support our children’s needs and address concerning evidence that students suffered serious social and emotional setbacks during the pandemic. We know that some of our community partners are the experts on serving student needs, and we will call upon engagement from community groups to support our young people through recovery. I also am in contact with state, county and municipal leaders to coordinate the federal relief funds we are all receiving to best serve our community and avoid duplication. 

We want everyone in Clark County to know that their voices have been heard and that we are spending public money wisely to improve public education. Please go to future.ccsd.net and take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity to chart the long-term direction of our public schools. 

The impact of this pandemic has shown me more than ever that we need each other -- and I as a leader need each of you -- to ensure we can respond to these challenges and rise up stronger on behalf of our kids. Our children’s futures can be much brighter if we’re all in this together.

Jesus Jara is the superintendent of the Clark County School District.