ESSER Funding: It's Half-Time! What's Your Game Plan?

By Kathy Dunn, CCOSA Director of Professional Learning, State and Federal Programs

The ESSER Era: The ESSER Era for public education began March 29, 2020, and is set to end September 30, 2024. In three tranches of federal ESSER allocations, known as CARES, CRRSA, and ARP, Oklahoma received over $2.3 billion in COVID-relief funds. With one year left for expenditures in ESSER II funds and two years left for ESSER III purchases, Oklahoma school districts must begin strategic budget-planning to avoid the funding cliff that will come at the end of these federal funding streams.

As penned by Rogers and Hammerstein in the 1943 musical Oklahoma!, “You’re doing fine, Oklahoma!” That same sentiment can be applied to Oklahoma school districts and the Oklahoma State Department of Education for the timely manner in which the ESSER funds were allocated to Oklahoma school districts and the steady pace of ESSER expenditures in our schools. Oklahoma is among the top states in the nation for the amount of ESSER funds that have been spent to enhance the education of Oklahoma’s school children according to the Education Stabilization Fund Transparency Portal (shown above).

The three graphs below show the percentage of COVID Relief funds that have been spent in Oklahoma as of the July 5, 2022, update on the Education Stabilization Fund Transparency Portal.

https://covid-relief-data.ed.gov/profile/state/OK

The two graphs below show the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Funds that were included in CARES and CRRSA. No CRRSA funds are reported spent by the Oklahoma Governor’s office on the Education Stabilization Fund Transparency Portal as of the July 5th update.

■ Obligate any remaining CARES Funds, Projects 721, 788, & 789, before September 30, 2022.

■ Claim last CARES Funds by December 1, 2022.

■ Analyze the data of your district’s Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CAN).

■ With stakeholders, review and revise the ARP ESSER III Spending Plan to meet the needs identified in the CAN

■ What do students need to close the achievement gaps across subgroups?

■ What do facilities need to promote cleaner surfaces and air quality?

■ What are the needs for social, emotional, and mental health?

■ Upload the latest version of the ARP Spending Plan and the Safe Return to Learn Plan in the ESSER III application and post them on your district website.

■ In the ARP ESSER III budget, check to be sure that at least 20% of your original allocation is planned for activities directly related to learning loss recovery. If more than 20% is needed for students’ academic success, code all learning loss activities to show particular attention to student achievement.

■ Prioritize expenditures in the planned ESSER projects to spend the remaining balances in ESSER II (793, 794) before September 30, 2023.

■ ESSER III (795) funds will need to be obligated by September 30, 2024.

The 2022-2023 school year is the third quarter of the ESSER game for our schools. It’s a great time to reflect on the good things schools have been able to accomplish with the targeted ESSER funds. Most Oklahoma schools have technology that is up-to-date and connected. Our schools have also been able to improve health and safety protocols with the additional money. Now we can turn our attention to the legacy of the ESSER Funds. Joined with students, staff, parents, and community partners, what will be the story your community tells of the largest influx of federal funding ever spent in your district? Careful, collaborative planning will be a key to writing an ESSER story that you and your community will be proud to tell for years to come! ■