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I am curious what mental health needs are being prioritized and what wise strategies and investments are to address them. I hear lots about a teen mental health crisis, but I feel like have a very superficial understanding of how we can be a part of addressing students' needs

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I wonder how they separate out academic recovery spending vs. staffing. Like spending on staff who are part of the academic recovery work, where that shows up

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I want us to think more about how we use ESSER as part of the context for our investments... how can we use this beefed up time of spend time test and scale supports that will outlast those dollars

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As pedantic as it may sound, I wonder how spent is being defined. Allocated but not spent yet, vs. work performed but not invoiced yet, vs. no decisions made about how to spend yet could yield very different pictures. I also suspect September 2024 won't be a real deadline, so wonder how we should be thinking about what decisions states and districts "should"
be making now

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What was successful use of these dollars vs. not so successful? (Realize I don't know if there are any large federal research initiatives tied to ESSER as a program)

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I thought the AZ example was useful in thinking how a foundation can partner with a state / district to leverage ESSR $$ for a common cause

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Lots of money spent on staffing - what happens when we hit the cliff

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Not exactly $ connected but thought it was interesting that districts want support/cover to continue to pursue/test innovation... good use of dollars that will go away

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There is still a lot of money to be spent. And its A LOT of money.

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In Chicago, at least for this school year, they basically added $130 per pupil at every school using relief funds instead of targeting investment where most needed.

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In Chicago, at least for this school year, they basically added $130 per pupil at every school using relief funds instead of targeting investment where most needed.

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Surprised that states can't tell districts how to spend the money

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Lack of transparency limits learning from these dollars

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Lack of transparency limits learning from these dollars

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A lot of money is still to be spent, but there is not a lot of time to allocate it

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SEPTEMBER 2021: https://aasa.org/uploadedFiles/ARP-Survey-Findings-090121.pdf
JANUARY 2022: https://aasa.org/uploadedFiles/ARP-Survey-Findings-Part2.pdf

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NCSL | STATE-BY-STATE SPENDING PLAN OVERVIEW

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NCSL | STATE-BY-STATE SPENDING PLAN OVERVIEW

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https://www.ncsl.org/ncsl-in-dc/standing-committees/education/cares-act-elementary-and-secondary-school-emergency-relief-fund-tracker.aspx

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In 2020 and 2021, Congress passed three stimulus bills that provided nearly $190.5 billion to the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund. States receive funds based on the same proportion that each state receives under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title-IA. States must distribute at least 90% of funds to local education agencies (LEAs) based on their proportional share of ESEA Title I-A funds. States have the option to reserve 10% of the allocation for emergency needs as determined by the state to address issues responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed on March 27, 2020, provided $13.5 billion to the ESSER Fund.

The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSA), passed on Dec. 27, 2020, provided $54.3 billion in supplemental ESSER funding, known as the ESSER II fund.

The American Rescue Plan Act, passed on March 11, 2021, provided $122.7 billion in supplemental ESSER funding, known as the ESSER III fund.

The SEAs are required to reserve their allocations to carry out activities: 5% to address learning loss, 1% for afterschool activities, and 1% for summer learning programs.

The LEAs must reserve at least 20% of the funding they receive to address learning loss.

Two-thirds of ESSER funds are immediately available to states, while remaining funds will be made available after states submit ESSER implementation plans. The U.S. Department of Education is reviewing and approving submitted state plans. As of January, 10, 2022, all states have had their plan approved.

(*N/A: Data not available)

State
Total ESSER Allocation

Minimum LEA Allocation

State and Local Plans

Maximum SEA Allocation

SEA Plan For 10% Set-Aside

New Jersey

$310,371,213

(ESSER I)

$1,230,971,757

(ESSER II)

$2,764,587,703

(ESSER III)

ESSER I: "The New Jersey Department of Education intends to use a portion of its set-aside for the following:

Directing funds to LEAs that did not receive Title I funds will receive funds from the ESSER fund

Public educational institutions in which public school students are educated, that were not eligible for an allocation from the formula portion of the grant as a result of not being an LEA. Specifically, these subgrants will be provided to: Special Services School Districts (SSSDs); educational institutions run by State agencies including the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and the Department of Corrections (DOC); the Juvenile Justice Centers; and Juvenile Detention Centers

Support formula grants to LEAs for the purchase of 1:1 instructional devices (e.g., Chromebooks, iPads) and connectivity

Develop a Memorandum of Understanding with Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, to address the Social-Emotional Learning needs of students impacted by COVID-19

The New Jersey Department of Education has established a seventeen month grant program to support projects that implement evidence-based interventions or quality instructional strategies to address student learning loss through additional mathematics and/or English language arts literacy (ELA) instruction; and/or social-emotional learning (SEL) support.

This competitive grant program is open to New Jersey public school districts, including charter schools and Renaissance schools. Each eligible applicant may apply for up to $156,425. This seventeen month grant program will begin April 1, 2021 and will end on August 31, 2022.

ESSER II: The state will use the ESSER II set aside for the following:

$75 million to establish the Learning Acceleration Grant.

75% f those funds will go to support research-based academic enrichment activities such as summer learning academies, school year learning acceleration academies, and 1:1 tutoring.

25% f those funds will go to activities that support the broader learning ecosystem, such as evidence-based strategies to cultivate a growth mindset in students, professional learning for educators in the use of formative assessments, and the use of extended instructional time to effectively scaffold students' learning, as well as integrate parents and educators into a multi-tiered system of supports.

$30 million for the provision of mental health services and supports.

More information here.

ESSER III: Some highlights include:

The NJDOE will allocate $134,996,987 to establish an "Acceleration Coach and Educator Support" formula grant for LEAs. LEAs will use these grant funds to implement professional learning for educators and other school staff in skills and topics that will empower them to better meet the needs of their students.

$3,232,398 to implement screener assessments that help evaluate and ensure student readiness for learning, including the Start Strong assessment and the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment.

The NJDOE will allocate $27,645,877 to establish a Summer Enrichment Activities formula grant to LEAs.

The NJDOE will allocate $27,645,877 to establish a Comprehensive Beyond the School Day Activities formula grant to LEAs.

In partnership institutions of higher education (IHEs) and other consultants , NJDOE will allocate part of its 2.5% reserve to create "accelerated learning educator response teams" in districts, providing direct learning acceleration supports such as job embedded coaching, accelerated learning toolkits, comprehensive professional learning opportunities, and statewide access to standards-based K-12 digital content in all content areas to strengthen how technology can be used to empower learners.

More information here.

Puerto Rico

$349,113,105

(ESSER I)

$1,320,626,161

(ESSER II)

$5,000,509,384

(ESSER III)

Puerto Rico ARPA ESSER III Plan

ESSER III: Some highlights include:

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national conference of state legislatures

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Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund Tracker

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In 2020 and 2021, Congress passed three stimulus bills that provided nearly $190.5 billion to the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund. States receive funds based on the same proportion that each state receives under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title-IA.

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EDUCATION REFORM NOW | EQUITY RATINGS FOR STATE SPENDING PLANS 

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EDUCATION REFORM NOW | EQUITY RATINGS FOR STATE SPENDING PLANS 

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https://edreformnow.org/policy-briefs/driving-towards-equity/

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Driving Towards Equity - Education Reform Now

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How does YOUR state measure up? Speeding ahead? Slowly moving forward? Momentarily stalled? Find out below! Early in January, the U.S. Department of Education approved applications for funds under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Wanting to know more abo…

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https://www.future-ed.org/financial-trends-in-local-schools-covid-aid-spending/

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FutureEd - A New Voice for American Education

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Nearly a year after Congress approved $122 billion in Covid-relief aid for elementary and secondary education through the American Rescue Plan, school districts and charter organizations have targeted their spending on three priorities: academic recovery, staffing, and school facilities and operations, a new FutureEd analysis shows.

The analysis, the first to detail the way relief money is flowing through local education agencies, examines spending plans from 3,056 school districts and charter organizations educating 60 percent of the nation's public-school students. The plans, compiled by the data-services firm Burbio, show that local education authorities have assigned a dollar figure to about $50 billion of the $67 billion in federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) funds they are due to receive. FutureEd broke down the $50 billion in designated spending into seven major categories and a number of subcategories.

The spending trends suggest that localities could spend more than $31 billion in ESSER III funds on academic interventions, $25 billion on teachers and staff, and $26 billion on school facilities and operations by the September 2024 deadline for spending the money.

Rural and suburban students are slightly underrepresented in the sample, and English language learners and low-income students are slightly overrepresented. Fewer than 10 percent of the school districts in Wisconsin, Vermont, Alaska, Minnesota, Washington, and Wyoming are included, and there are no districts or charter organizations from Montana and Rhode Island.

The Burbio sample nonetheless largely reflects the geographic and demographic diversity of the nation's public-school students, based on National Center for Education Statistics data, suggesting that the spending trends in the sample are nationally representative and can with some confidence predict how the nation's education agencies are likely to spend ESSER III monies.

All districts and charter organizations were required to submit plans to state education agencies detailing how the federal aid would be spent. About 500 districts included no dollar figures but detailed their priorities, largely accounting for why $17 billion of the $67 billion is not included in the analysis. Of the districts that have outlined specific dollar amounts, more than 90 percent of their allotments are committed. Some provided overall amounts for major categories such as academic recovery or staffing; many others offered specific dollar figures for how they plan to allot their funds. Districts in Tennessee and a few districts elsewhere include spending from earlier ESSER funding rounds in their totals.
[Register for our March 15 webinar]
Local education agencies have earmarked the most resources for academic recovery, nearly $14.3 billion or 28 percent of the $50 billion captured in the Burbio sample. School districts and charters have a total of $110 billion in ESSER III money to spend, with another $12 billion allotted to state education agencies.

Summer learning and afterschool programs make up nearly a quarter of the academic recovery spending, with about $3.5 billion planned. That number could be expected to grow to $7.7 billion as districts plan for spending for the entire ESSER appropriation. Tutoring and coaching for math and English language skills comprise another 12 percent, or $1.7 billion, which could eventually reach $3.8 billion if trends hold true. Many districts set aside additional money for staffing these programs.

Instructional materials are also a priority, making up about 5 percent or $777 million, and spending planned for students with disabilities is close behind with $745 million. FutureEd found in a previous analysis that many under-resourced school districts are planning to use Covid-relief funds to replace outdated instructional materials.
Read More: How District Poverty Levels Influence Covid-Relief Spending
The scale of spending on academic interventions isn't surprising, given the substantial learning deficits that emerged during the pandemic and that, in response, the American Rescue Plan requires local agencies to use at least 20 percent of their ESSER III allotment to address learning loss.

School districts and charter organizations plan to invest heavily in teachers and other staff to aid the academic recovery. Nearly $12 billion or 24 percent of the spending in the analysis will go toward staffing, with more than a third of that or $4.2 billion for the category that includes teachers, academic interventionists and guidance counselors. But given shortages of teachers and other staff in some parts of the country, some districts may struggle to hire the staff they need.

About $2.2 billion or 18 percent of the planned staff spending will support teacher recruitment and retention efforts, and another $1 billion or about 9 percent is dedicated for professional development. Districts and charters are spending $794 million, or nearly 7 percent of the staffing total, on bringing additional psychologists and other mental health support into schools.
[Read More: How Local Educators Plan to Spend Billions in Covid-Relief Aid]
Facilities and operations are another major spending category, representing about a quarter of the planned spending in the $50 billion Burbio sample, nearly $12 billion. By far the largest priority in this category is upgrading heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, with more than $4.4 billion earmarked for these projects, or about 37 percent of the facilities and operations spending. If trends continue, the total for this category could reach $9.7 billion.

Another $2.3 billion or 19 percent is set aside for "repairs that prevent illness," a priority that includes lead abatement, removing mold and mildew, or replacing leaking roofs. Other construction projects would add up to nearly $824 million. Operational priorities include plans for spending $493 million for PPE and $419 million for transportation costs.

As with instructional materials, we found that a large percentage of under-resourced school districts are investing in facilities projects, seemingly to compensate for years of deferred capital improvements.

Technology priorities, such as mobile devices and connectivity, account for $5.1 billion or about 10 percent of the $50 billion in our analysis, while efforts to address students' mental and physical health, such as social-emotional learning and public health protocols, add up to $3.9 billion, or nearly 8 percent of the total. A final $2.7 billion is committed to various financial needs, such as grant administration and keeping payroll and school operations going during the pandemic.
Listen to the Podcast : What are Schools Doing With Their Covid-Relief Dollars Graphics by Merry Alderman Design

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Financial Trends in Local Schools' Covid-Aid Spending - FutureEd

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Nearly a year after Congress approved $122 billion in Covid-relief aid for elementary and secondary education through the American Rescue Plan, school districts and charter organizations have targeted their spending on three priorities: academic recovery, staffing, and school facilities and operations, a new FutureEd analysis shows.

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US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SPENDING PORTAL

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US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SPENDING PORTAL

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https://covid-relief-data.ed.gov/