School officials and First Selectman Pat Llodra spent time February 17 before the Legislative Council reviewing the status of post-12/14 grants along with any remaining funds that can still be applied to recovery and support efforts.

Superintendent of Schools Joseph V. Erardi, Jr, joined school district Recovery Project Director Judy Blanchard, MS, CPP, and district Business Manager Ron Bienkowski circulating a number of documents that tracked numerous grants and how funds have been applied to date.

Dr Erardi started by explaining that details of the Department of Justice Consequence Grant used for school security and school hardening projects could only be discussed in closed executive session.

"I'm not prepared to share safety and security details publicly," Dr Erardi said. "We have spent that money wisely, and put ourselves in a position that offers optimal safety for students, staff, and the community."

According to documentation provided, between July 1, 2013 - the date of the DOJ grant award - and December 31, 2015, nearly $1.3 million from that grant has been spent on building hardening at all existing local public schools, training, and new radios for security personnel.

The balance of the Consequence Grant has been used for facility operations costs, along with student tuition and transportation. Mr Bienkowski said that $6,571 was left unspent when the grant lapsed.

Dr Erardi moved on to review expenditures from US Department of Education grants. First and foremost, Dr Erardi said, was to clear up any misunderstandings that the district is planning to scale back on mental health providers among its personnel.

"The reality is, if you look at the way we staff our buildings next year, it is a unique staffing platform that meets the needs of Newtown Public Schools," Dr Erardi said. "It would be an uncommon platform in almost any other school district. We are retaining mental health providers who are essential for us to recover."

Ms Blanchard said that while most of the three grants - $1.3 million, $1.9 million and $3.7 million - have been spent within the time frame periods, the district will be allowed to utilize about $250,000 left unspent into the next fiscal year from the third grant, which technically expires on June 30, 2016.

With an eye on the spend down, Ms Blanchard said last November she and Dr Erardi had meetings with building principals to get an idea of needs for the 2016-17 school year. She reviewed a document detailing personnel who were employed before 12/14; personnel added from a federal SERV (School Emergency Response to Violence) grant; those positions underwritten by a separate grant from the regional Education Connection; an additional grant from Newtown Youth & Family Services; and a final $500,000 grant from the Sandy Hook School Foundation.

"For the 2016-17 school year, the combination of [remaining] SERV and Sandy Hook Foundation grants will cover all our people," she said. The SERV grant funds will be exhausted in March of 2017, Ms Blanchard added.

She said as students transition out of Sandy Hook School, some positions will move to follow those students to support their needs as they continue on to Reed Intermediate School in September of this year.

As the district presentation ended, Councilman Dan Honan asked how officials measure recovery results. Dr Erardi replied that his staff has to be respectful to every recovery parent, student, and staff member.

"There are no two recoveries that are alike," the superintendent said. "I believe we are in a better space today than two years ago. Most information from conversations we are having [indicate] we are making strides forward, but its going to be a lengthy race."

Ms Blanchard added that the district is required to measure outcomes for grants, but she said "measurements are deceiving."

"Our staff members are servicing higher numbers of students," she said. "The numbers may not have changed, but the severity and frequency of the issues are changing."

Councilman Paul Lundquist asked if outcomes are tangible measurements that could relate to determination of staffing and funding.

Ms Blanchard said officials need to look across the district landscape to assess where certain needs may be decreasing or increasing.

"Our resources have to follow the most impacted students," she said.

As students ready to move into the new Sandy Hook School, Dr Erardi said the school security director is also preparing a five-year plan that will examine budgeting and spending around practices and personnel.