Shenandoah Valley News

Online tutoring programs, security system upgrades in the works for Roanoke County schools

After the upcoming holiday break, Roanoke County schools may introduce new online tutoring for students at all grade levels, as well as security communications improvements for three county schools.

Tutoring contractors have already been chosen, and final contract negotiations are expected to be finished soon with the programs beginning in mid-January, according to Ben Williams, county schools director of research and assessment.

One of the contractors, Brainfuse, was chosen to provide a program called ‘High-Dosage’ tutoring, designed for students whose learning progress has fallen significantly behind grade level.

“We’ve been having a lot of trouble with recruiting teachers for remedial classes,” Williams said. “We hope this tutoring will help fill in that gap without increasing cost.”

A second contractor, Tutor.com, will provide the ‘Just In Time’ program for any student that needs immediate help with study questions.

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A second contractor, Tutor.com, will provide the ‘Just In Time’ program for any student that needs immediate help with study questions.

“A tutor would be available 24/7,” Williams said. “If you call them with a question at 2 in the morning, somebody will be there to answer.”

The tutors would not provide answers to test questions, but would be able to provide guidance on questions in various subjects via video call.

Additionally, Tutor.com would offer proofreading service for student papers, with a 12-hour turnaround period, and access to Princeton Review SAT prep materials.

“I’ve had to pay for those Princeton Review books, and they’re very expensive,” Williams said. “So the fact they provide access to them is amazing for us.”

The cost for Brainfuse would be $500,000 for a total of 19,000 hours of tutoring time, which can carry over into next year if it isn’t used. Tutor.com comes with an annual price tag of $188,000.

Both programs would be paid for through the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER III), following Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s recent decree that all remaining ESSER III funds be used to address learning loss.

On another front, county schools have proposed new signal amplifiers and radios at three locations — Burlington Elementary, Herman L. Horn Elementary, and Northside High — in the coming semester, through security grants from the Virginia Department of Education.

The new amplifiers and radios would allow better communication inside the schools, according to Jeff Terry, county schools technology director.

“The signal is just fine outside these schools, but inside, as you can imagine, with all the walls and concrete and other materials, it needs a boost,” Terry said.

Roanoke County schools received the largest grant amount available for security, $250,000. The grants require a 25% match, or $62,500, which the district has already pledged.

The total cost for new amplifiers and radios is estimated at $315,000, leaving $2,500 the school district still needs to account for. The new radios would include an orange emergency contact button, allowing all teachers and staff to immediately contact police dispatch in an emergency, on an encrypted frequency.

The new radio equipment requires approval by the county board of supervisors, and will likely appear as an agenda item for the county school board’s regular meeting in January.

Original source can be found here