New state money for ‘student wellness and success’

When the Ohio State Budget was adopted earlier this year, there was a lot of anticipation and concern over a new funding stream for schools to support “student wellness and success.”
The amount of money allocated is based on enrollment and poverty statistics, and Brookfield’s share is $339,360 for this year and $494,573 for the next school year.
Local school officials wondered for some months what the money could be used for.
“The strings are not horribly tight,” Brookfield Treasurer Craig Yaniglos told the school board Oct. 16. “There’s some things you have to fall within the guidelines of, but it gives you some flexibility.”
Schools have to formulate a plan for use of the money in consultation with local agencies that support health, mental health, drug and alcohol treatment and job and family services. Yaniglos said he and Supt. Toby Gibson are working on the plan with input from Youth Intensive Services, Brookfield Police Department and the Trumbull and Mahoning County Educational Service Centers.
The money in some cases can be used to pay for things the school is already paying for, taking some burden off the general fund. Brookfield is using this money to pay the $3,500 it is being charged by Mahoning Valley Regional Council of Governments for a career counselor, a program that was begun last year at no cost to the district. Yaniglos said he did not know why there was a charge this year.
The money also will be used to pay the district’s share to hire a school resource officer, a policeman who will be stationed full time at the school.
The district also is looking at creating new programs, such as an afterschool program for tutoring and to help students who have failed classes to earn the credits they need to graduate, officials said.