Rutherford County Schools will be using part of its Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Fund to hire the newly created position of Learning Loss Supervisor.

This position, which was unanimously approved by the Rutherford County School Board at its June 10 meeting, will be responsible for all aspects of implementing the Tennessee Department of Education’s learning loss programs, including summer camps, summer school, after school tutoring, STREAM — Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts and Math — and other programs yet to be determined.

The district is expected to post and fill the position “sometime after Labor Day,” according to Dr. Jimmy Sullivan, assistant superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction.

An alternative title could have been “extended learning opportunities supervisor,” Sullivan said, who noted the ESSER funding “specifically mentions Learning Loss Supervisor.”

The role will evolve once the new hire is in place.

“There are at least four dozen grants the state has out right now for extra learning opportunities for students,” Sullivan explained, “so this person will be charged with really looking at these grants and saying what best fits Rutherford County and what fits our students.

“Most of these (grants) are going to be competitive, so we’re going to be competitive with other districts to see who gets funding.”

In the meantime, Mark Gullion, coordinator for Federal Programs and RTI, has “done an amazing job” of already putting the structure in place, according to Sullivan.