The Block Island School Committee met on April 12, and the meeting began in a typically mundane fashion: call to order, approval of the minutes from the March 15 meetingand a statement of accounts. As it is nearing the end of the academic year, the school is able to accurately project what amount of fund balance will be needed for use as budgeted revenue. The current projection is to use $55,097, as opposed to the original budgeted amount of $96,343.Superintendent Mike Convery gave his report, indicating that as Block Island does not meet the poverty rate (two percent) to receive funds from the ESSER funding andconsequently the American Recovery Act, his office has been in contact with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse about some sort of reimbursement or alternative funding for theschool’s Covid-19 expenses. Senator Whitehouse’s office will contact the governor onthe school’s behalf to request additional funding for Covid relief. Block Island is the only school district in the state that does not qualify for these ESSER and Recovery funds.
Superintendent Convery briefly discussed the ongoing plans for renovations to the HVAC system and gym, which are somewhat curtailed by the scheduling ofthe approval process. The R.I. Department of
