Congress set aside approximately $13.2 billion of the $30.75 billion allotted to the Education Stabilization Fund through the Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER Fund). Signed into law on March 20, 2021, the Department awarded these grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) for the purpose of providing local educational agencies (LEAs), including charter schools that are LEAs, with emergency relief funds to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools across the Nation.
Over the course of three rounds of ESSER allotments, the portion allotted to the SBCSC District was $71 million to be allocated toward four categories of use:
- Accelerated Learning (Concerned with closing the pandemic-induced achievement gap, social emotional learning, special populations, academic programming and assessment, and out of school time programming)
- Supporting Educators (Concerned with educator wellness, safety, and classroom support)
- Sustainable Innovation (Concerned with virtual learning, and rethinking school design and programming)
- Updating Technology and Other Infrastructure (Concerned with updating student information systems, our buildings’ structural and design needs, education/technology supplements, COVID mitigation, safety, and emergency preparedness)
Note: Please consult the Strategic Spending Plan for more details on the above.
