OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Fredonia Superintendent Dr. Brad Zilliox described the district’s dilemma in hiring and retaining certain positions within the district with the impending expiration of ARPA funding.

FREDONIA — As a response to the pandemic, American Rescue Plan Act funding was awarded to school districts to address unforeseen needs. The Fredonia Central School District utilized a good portion of that funding to add multiple employees to the district.

But now with that additional funding set to expire after this school year, the district is facing a dilemma regarding what to do with the employees the district added.

The topic was raised in response to a discussion on the need for a social worker at Fredonia High School. Principal Darrin Paschke spoke to the district’s need for a full-time social worker assigned to the high school, but because the position is not being offered as a 1.0 position, the district has not had any luck filling the seat.

“This has been a struggle,” Superintendent Dr. Brad Zilliox said.

Zilliox said the difference between a 1.0 position, as suggested, compared to a 0.6 position, as the district has been seeking, was estimated between $10,000-$25,000 annually.

However, the district currently has seven positions that were added because of the extra pandemic related funding. The district is hesitant to add a social worker – or any other position – because the funding available to the district to retain its employees is set to expire after the school year. The district also recently hired an additional Elementary Special Education Teacher and an English as a New Language Teacher, which increases the financial strain on the district moving forward.

Zilliox said the current financial situation “all of a sudden makes adding just what seems to be a small amount of money, to make a 1.0 social worker perhaps more viable, a little bit more of a concern.”

An option the district has is to hire a 1.0 social worker for the rest of the school year with the funding that is currently available, but not maintain the position moving forward. Zilliox stated his hesitancy to do that because of the “mixed message” in doing so.

“I really am thinking about those (American Rescue Plan Act aided) positions and what that is going to mean for us as we begin to build the budget for next year. That’s just my opinion,” Zilliox said. “… I don’t want anyone to leave here thinking that we are not committed to trying to keep the positions that we have with (American Rescue Plan Act) funding. That will present some challenges, and we might need to think about, what do we trade off in valuing those positions?”

Board of Education member Lisa Powell Fortna later responded, “Are we making our problem bigger down the road? In six more months, are we going to have a bigger need?

Powell Fortna referred to the option of hiring a social worker now to get the district through the year, even if the position is not maintained. “Could six months of support … help in some way to meet some needs or get some students to where they need to be to minimize the needs later?”

Zilliox stated that mindset was why the district added the seven positions it did. “Regardless of where it’s going, the benefit at the moment, we’re going to prioritize,” Zilliox said of the district’s prior hiring decisions. “… Where is the limit to that?”

Paschke thanked the Board of Education for the “continued conversation” regarding the addition of a social worker. Paschke then added, “I know it’s a difficult conversation for Dr. Zilliox to have. I don’t want anyone to leave here thinking that Dr. Zilliox said ‘I don’t believe we should have a social worker,’ because he doesn’t feel that way.”

In additional cost-related issues to the district, the Board of Education passed a resolution to amend the district’s budget at an increase of $716,662. The adjustments include a $213,002 emergency project for the chimney at the Wheelock School, as well as an additional $503,666 allocated to required services for classified students due to unexpected enrollments.