Brandon Twp.- Five parapros whose positions were eliminated from the school district earlier this year will return to kindergarten classrooms this week, thanks to at-risk funding from the state.
‘I expect them to be in the classrooms on Monday,? said Brandon Superintendent Lorrie McMahon. ‘The teachers are happy and we want the kids to get off to a good start, so it is important that we can do this.?
The parapros were part of nearly $1 million in cuts to the district budget approved in June, but their positions are being restored for this school year after the district learned they will receive $368,954 from the state of Michigan in at-risk funds. Each school district in the state receives funding from this program based on the number of students in the free and reduced price lunch program. Besides the parapros, who are part-time and serve nine half-day kindergarten classes, the at-risk money will also be used to fund literacy teachers and an ESL teacher, as well as some social work services.
‘These funds vary from year to year, so this doesn’t tell us anything about next year,? McMahon said. ‘Kindergarten has become far more demanding than it used to be, so parapros are even more important.?