DOTHAN, Ala. – Alabama school officials have some big decisions to make in the next few weeks about how they’re going to spend the $900 million Congress approved through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act in December.
Plans for how that money will be spent are due to the state department by June 1.
That is the second of three buckets of federal aid that state Board of Education member Wayne Reynolds called a “windfall” during Thursday’s work session in Montgomery. It comes on top of a CARES Act allocation last year.
The first round of money, known as the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief or ESSER I funding, provided $216 million for Alabama schools. It was designed to reimburse schools for expenses when schools closed in March 2020 and to help them reopen in August; most schools reported plans to spend money on remote learning programs, cleaning and PPE supplies and stipends for staff. Districts have until September 2022 to spend ESSER I funds.
ESSER II funds are heading to 135 school districts and five public charter schools, but districts must first submit plans to the state department for approval. Thirty plans have been submitted so far, State Superintendent Eric Mackey told board members during the work session, and of those, 12 have been fully approved.
“That means that in the next three weeks,” Mackey said, “we know we’ve got about 110 more that are going to come in.”
Three school districts — Mountain Brook, Trussville and Vestavia Hills — did not receive any district-level ESSER II funding because they do not participate in the federal Title I program, which provides additional funding to support students in poverty. All districts will receive some money from federal funds reserved for the state department to distribute to provide training for teachers on the state’s new math and English courses of study and for tests to measure learning loss.
ESSER II funding, officials have said, is for academic recovery and mental health supports for students. In January, Mackey told AL.com he wanted to see districts focus on ways to provide more learning time for students. That could include extending the school year, offering before and after school tutoring and even planning for weekend school.
Another $2 billion — referred to as ESSER III — is coming down the pipe, approved by Congress in March through the American Rescue Plan. That money is meant to help schools continue to address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on student learning as well as social and emotional needs. Of that, $1.8 billion will be given directly to school districts, though again, those not participating in Title I receive no direct funding.
School officials must submit two plans for ESSER III funding for approval by the state superintendent this summer and have until September 2024 to spend it.
School officials are required to reach out to the public to ask how best to spend ESSER III money, but it’s unclear how they plan to do so.
Mackey said he’s holding a webinar for local superintendents May 25 to provide more information about ESSER III funds.
