COVID-19 & post-COVID-19 federally-funded support for education
The federal government has supported school districts around the country with supplemental funds for continued, if altered, operations under COVID-related restrictions and mitigation efforts.
Three rounds of COVID relief funding have been authorized by U.S. Congress since the start of the pandemic. The rounds of funding are called the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief — also known as ESSER. Each round of ESSER funds have been authorized by separate legislative acts that the president has signed into law.
These rounds are:
- ESSER I— authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
- ESSER II — authorized by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act
- ESSER III — authorized by the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act
In 2020 and 2021, the U.S. Congress passed three stimulus bills providing almost $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 percent of funds to local education agencies (LEAs) based on the proportional share of ESEA Title IA funds. States have the option to reserve 10 percent of the allocation for emergency needs as determined by the state to address issues responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. [Source: National Conference of State Legislatures.]
- 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.
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CCPS allocated its ESSER I funding ($3.127 million) from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act, March 2020) to the following:
- 7,155, 1:1 laptops for middle-school students, webcams, headsets, personal protective equipment (PPE) for band students/instruments — $2,927,617.51
- Private/Non-Public School allocation — $196,371.49
CCPS allocated its ESSER II funding ($13.7 million) from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA Act, December 2020) to the following:
- Summer Programs (Summer Boost, enrichment camps, summer school), social emotional learning/mental health supports (mental health clinics for parents — $4,141,555
- Maintenance/HVAC upgrades — $9,602,175
CCPS was conditionally approved on Oct. 4, 2021, by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) for $30.8 million in grant funding under the third round of ESSER through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP). The conditional approval allows MSDE to release two thirds of the allotted funding to the school system. To receive the remaining funds, CCPS must provide to MSDE the following:
- Baseline and projected student enrollment data as part of a publicly available Reopening Plan by January 2022; and
- Evidence of stakeholder engagement by Feb. 1, 2022.
In its application to MSDE, CCPS identified the following expenses for the third round of ESSER funding.
- Updates to technology/IT infrastructure - $5 million.
- Maintenance and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) upgrades (Maurice J. McDonough High School and Malcolm Elementary School) - $13 million.
- Continuation of summer programs (Summer Boost, enrichment camps, Summer School) and professional development trainings for staff through 2025 - $9 million.
- Transportation for extended learning opportunities through 2025 - $3 million.
