ESSER III

In general the purpose of ESSER is to award subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs), such as school districts like Mansfield ISD, to address the impact COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools.

LEAs, including school districts and charter schools, that received a Title I, Part A grant in school year 2020-21 are eligible to receive allocations for the ESSER III grant. School districts must submit a grant application to TEA in order to receive these funds.

$12,418,588,778 is available to the state. Ninety (90) percent, or $11,176,729,900, will be awarded to eligible LEAs per the ARP statute. Note that only 2/3 of the total state allocation ($8,279,059,186) is available at this time.

Grant allocations are posted on the TEA Grants Administration Entitlements webpage.

Local education agenicies (LEAs) must expend a minimum of 20% of their ESSER III funds on evidence-based interventions, such as summer learning, extended day comprehensive after-school programs, or extended school year programs. Schools must ensure interventions respond to students’ academic, social and emotional needs and address disproportionate impact of coronavirus on Title I students, students experiencing homelessness and youth in foster care.

The LEA must engage in meaningful consultation with stakeholders —including students, families, district administrators (including special education administrators), teachers, principals, school staff, and other stakeholders/members of the public (in particular organizations that represent children with disabilities, English Language Learners, children experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, migrant students, children who are incarcerated, and other underserved students).  Stakeholders must have the opportunity to provide input on the ESSER III Use of Funds Plan.

The LEA must provide its plan for the uses of ARP ESSER III funds in an understandable and uniform format; to the extent practicable, written in a language that parents can understand or, if not practicable, orally translated; and, upon request by a parent who is an individual with a disability, provide in an alternative format accessible to that parent.

The LEA program schedules to the ESSER III application, or a separate document containing all the information included in the program schedules, serving as the LEA’s plan for the uses of ARP ESSER III funds will be posted to the LEA’s website within 30 days of receiving its ESSER III Notice of Grant Award.

The federal statute clearly spells out the 15 allowable uses of ESSER III dollars as follows:

1. Any activity authorized under ESEA, IDEA, Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, or the Carl Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006
2. Coordination of preparedness/response efforts of LEA with State and local health departments, and other relevant agencies, to improve coordinated responses to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus
3. Activities to address the unique needs of low-income students, children with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and foster care youth
4. Developing and implementing procedures and systems to improve the preparedness and response efforts of LEAs
5. Training and professional development for school staff on sanitation and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases
6. Purchasing supplies to sanitize and clean school facilities
7. Planning for, coordinating, and implementing activities during long-term closures, including providing meals to eligible students, providing technology for online learning to all students, how to provide guidance for carrying out requirements under IDEA, how to ensure other educational services can continue to be provided consistent with all Federal, State, and local requirements
8. Purchasing educational technology (hardware, software, and connectivity) for students that aids in regular/substantive educational interaction between students and instructors, including low-income students and students with disabilities, which may include assistive technology or adaptive equipment
9. Providing mental health services and supports, including through implementation of evidence based full-service community schools
10. Planning and implementing activities related to summer learning and/or supplemental afterschool programs, both of which may include providing classroom instruction or online learning and addressing the needs of low-income students, students with disabilities, English learners, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care
11. Addressing learning loss among students, including low-income students, students with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care, including administering and using high-quality assessments, implementing evidence-based activities to meet the comprehensive needs of students, providing information and assistance to parents & families on effectively supporting students, and tracking student attendance and improving student engagement in distance education
12. School facility repairs and improvements to enable operation of schools to reduce risk of virus transmission and exposure to environmental health hazards, and to support student health needs
13. Inspection, testing, maintenance, repair, replacement, and upgrade projects to improve the indoor air quality in school facilities, including mechanical and non-mechanical heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, filtering, purification and other air cleaning, fans, control systems, and window and door repair and replacement
14. Developing strategies and implementing public health protocols including, to the greatest extent practicable, policies in line with guidance from CDC for the reopening and operation of school facilities
15. Other activities that are necessary to maintain the operation of and continuity of services in the LEA, including continuing to employ existing staff of the LEA to the greatest extent practicable.

Funds may be used for allowable activities from March 13, 2020 (with approved pre-award) through September 30, 2023.  Districts will then have the standard 12-month carryover available through September 30, 2024.

TEA has established fund code 282 to track ESSER III dollars.