School Districts Eligible for Mental Health Grants

There’s money for more school psychologists, social workers, counselors, and nurses. The Fiscal Year 2022 State School Aid Act provides for $240 million to go toward mental health needs for students. Districts can still apply for funding.

State Superintendent Michael Rice said, “Our children require academic, social emotional, and physical supports, both in and out of schools. School communities across the state are appreciative of this critical new FY 22 budget investment negotiated between the governor and the state legislature.  This $240 million begins the requisite school support for our children’s mental health and physical needs.” 

So far, 210 school districts have applied for grant funding to hire 60 school psychologists, 226 school social workers, 146 school counselors, and 130 school nurses.

The grants will phase out gradually, and the districts will fully fund the positions with local funds in year four, according to the grant rules.

According to the Governor’s office, the application for receiving the short-term funding is still open, and all districts are eligible to apply. 

 Districts can review frequently asked questions and submit their application by visiting Michigan.gov/MDE. Districts must hire staff by March 1, 2022 to qualify.   

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Student Loan Repayment Pause Extended

Paying on student loans? The payback “pause” has been extended to May 1st, 2022. Loan payments, interest, and collections have been paused since March 13th, 2020.

The repayment plans were set to resume after January 31st, 2022, but the pause has been pushed out a few more months. The interest rates have been set to 0% during the pause, in response to the economic instability caused by the reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Collections on defaulted loans have also been suspended, but are expected to resume after the latest extension expires.

Those who borrowed money for educational expenses shouldn’t get their hopes up that the loans will just disappear.

In announcing the extension of the pause, President Biden said, “As we are taking this action, I’m asking all student loan borrowers to do their part as well: take full advantage of the Department of Education’s resources to help you prepare for payments to resume.” He suggested looking at options to lower your payments through income-based repayment plans and to explore public service loan forgiveness.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Library Has Creative Options for January

The St. Clair County Library System has plenty on the calendar for January to get the New Year off to a good start.

Kids can stop by the Children’s Library at the Main Branch in Port Huron to pick up a kit to build their very own stuffed bear. Once the bear is built, at the library or at home, kids can bring the bears back for Teddy Bear Sleepover Camp, where the bears will make scrapbooks of their adventures at camp. Registration is required.

Ever wanted to learn the ancient art form of Origami? This might be the year to build that lifelong skill. The G. Lynn Campbell/Kimball Township Branch, located in Kimball, will be hosting both Teen and Adult Origami classes in January. Materials are provided and the classes are free.

Feeling creative? A Fairy House Workshop will be held on Thursdays for six sessions, with all materials provided to create a fairy house of your own design. The sessions will be held at the G. Lynn Campbell/Kimball Library.

There is also a presentation on Understanding Grief and a group that meets for card games. For the full schedule of events, https://stclaircountylibrary.org/events

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

2021 Was a Big Year for Michigan DNR

Michigan parks and trails had a banner year in 2021 with a record-breaking 35 million visitors and 1.4 million camping and lodging nights.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources Parks and Recreation Chief Ron Olson said, “Our state parks and recreation system resources, including trails, boating and state forest recreation, are as relevant now as they’ve ever been to the state of Michigan in the past 100 years.”

DNR staff remained on the job throughout the pandemic to offer enhanced recreation opportunities for people who craved outdoor gathering spaces.

As more people took up boating or used motorized vehicles on public trails, there became a need for upgraded law enforcement. Gary Hagler, chief of the DNR Law Enforcement Division said, “This surge of customers has introduced a new demand for outdoor recreation areas and opportunities, reiterating the importance of recreational safety education staff and programs and the need for readily available conservation officers.”

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Safety Training Planned for Port Huron Schools

The staff at Port Huron Schools will be participating in Active Assailant Response Training on January 14th. Students will have a half-day of school that day with early dismissal and bus pick up around lunchtime.

Superintendent Theo Kerhoulas sent an email to district families on Tuesday to let them know about both the schedule change and the staff training.

Kerhoulas wrote, “We are very proud of our current district safety plans but also know we can always do better. Our teams feel we can strengthen what we do in the case of an emergency with additional training.”

Kerhoulas explained that the Port Huron schools team met with local law enforcement to discuss school safety and the Active Assailant Response Training will be done in partnership with the Port Huron Police Department and the St. Clair County Sheriff Department.

Kerhoulas said in the letter to families and staff, “Our efforts will strengthen our protocols and communication systems for our students, staff, law enforcement officers and emergency responders.”

Parents should expect more details about the January 14th early dismissal when the students are back in school next week.

Reporting with WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Selfridge, PFAS Cleanup Get Funding with Defense Bill

The National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law by President Biden.

Part of the $777 billion bill included another year of funding for the A-10 Warthog fighter which includes the 107th Fighter Squadron assigned to Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County. Twenty-eight million dollars are earmarked for upgrades at Selfridge.

U.S. Army Major General Paul D. Rogers, the adjutant general and director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, said, “The projects and initiatives included in this year’s NDAA are huge wins for our state. These investments will empower the next chapter of Michigan’s long and meaningful history as a center of innovation for our country’s national defense.”

The signing of the Act was praised by both Congresswoman Lisa McLain and Senator Gary Peters. Peters said, “The national defense bill is critical to maintaining our competitiveness on the global stage – particularly as other nations, like the Chinese government, look to expand their influence.”

The bill includes a 2.7% pay raise for military personnel as well as funding for remediation of PFAS environmental contamination on former Air Force bases such as K.I. Sawyer and Wurtsmith in Michigan.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland