Lorain Schools looks to distribute winter clothes; partner with city on broadband internet

LORAIN — Lorain Schools will take on handing out winter coats, hats and gloves to families in need this winter, pending the Lorain County commissioners' approval. The district plans to take the reins on the Operation Share the Warmth winter clothing program, in partnership with Lorain County Jobs and Family Services. The contract, while unanimously approved by the Board of Education on Monday, will need approval from the commissioners before the end of the month. The program will distribute coats and other winter clothing to income-eligible families using Temporary Assistant for Needy Families, or TANF, grant funds allocated to Lorain County Jobs and Family Services. Lorain Schools' proposal estimates distributing clothing to more than 4,000 families. Prior years' distributions were handled by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lorain County. Lorain Schools Superintendent Jeff Graham said the district's challenge has been to identify the needs of its students and families and meet those needs. The clothing distribution is part of that. And having Tony Dimacchia, former operations manager for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lorain County, on hand to assist in the program put the district steps ahead of where it would be without him, Graham said. Dimacchia, also an at-large city councilman, is now Lorain Schools' director of community engagement and communication. He hoped the partnership, once approved, would be the start of a long-term relationship with the agency, as the need for items like these don't go away. Broadband internet The district and city sent out a joint request for proposals for broadband internet. Those proposals are due Dec. 23. The city and schools hope to offer free or low-cost internet to all families in the city — a need highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, Graham said. "What we discovered during COVID, 27 percent of families didn't have reliable internet," he said. "It's almost a necessity. Whether it's video doctor's appointments, looking up a phone number, trying to find a job, everything is internet based." The district plans to use Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds to help pay for its portion of the project, Graham said, though those cost estimates aren't readily available yet. The RFP process will allow the district and city to better gauge what the undertaking may cost, and how quickly it could be completed — especially compared with the ESSER spending deadline. The money must be spent by 2024. Mayor Jack Bradley said the city is able to use American Rescue Plan Act funds to assist in providing affordable broadband internet access, but that isn't the only money available. Federal Infrastructure Act grants may also be available, as a large portion of the bipartisan law was earmarked for internet for all. "During the pandemic when the schools were closed, there were many students and households that didn't have access to affordable internet," Bradley said. "It's our desire to make that available to all families in the city of Lorain. So the schools and the city are trying to cooperate to at least find out what something like this might cost." The city and schools have been working on this project for about a year, and this will be the second RFP sent out to see what options are available. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.