ESSER Funds

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief federal pandemic relief funds

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Everything You Need to Know About Schools and COVID Relief Funds
How much did your district get in pandemic emergency aid? When must the money be spent? Is there more on the way? EdWeek has the answers.
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Budget & Finance 6 Tips For Making the Most of ESSER Dollars Before They Expire
District leaders recommend planning for the future and finding big one-time investments with long-lasting impacts.
Mark Lieberman, May 16, 2023
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6 min read
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Budget & Finance From Our Research Center Inflated Costs, Growing Needs: Why Educators Are Pessimistic About School Budgets
More than half of educators believe increasingly complex needs of students are driving up per-pupil expenses, new data show.
Mark Lieberman, April 18, 2023
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5 min read
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Budget & Finance From Our Research Center Teacher & Administrator Perceptions About K-12 Education Finance
The first annual Allovue Education Finance Survey examines educators' views about school funding.
Holly Kurtz, April 18, 2023
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3 min read
Budget & Finance Whitepaper Teacher & Administrator Perceptions About K-12 Education Finance
Results of the first annual Allovue Education Finance Survey suggest that education professionals have varying experiences, views, and gaps in knowledge related to key issues in K-12 education finance. This whitepaper highlights findings.
April 18, 2023
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Education Funding Most District Leaders Say They're Almost Done Spending ESSER Funds
Nearly 80 percent of district leaders and principals said they've spent three-quarters or more of their COVID relief allocations.
Mark Lieberman, April 17, 2023
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4 min read
Group of elementary girls in art class coloring with markers and one girl in the back ground cutting something out of construction paper.
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Budget & Finance Schools Used ESSER Funds for After-School Programs. What Happens When the Money Runs Out?
Partnerships and blending other funding streams together are two ways to sustain after-school programs, experts say.
Lauraine Langreo, April 11, 2023
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6 min read
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Education Funding These 15 States Could Take the Biggest Hit as ESSER Funds Expire
High-poverty states and states where federal relief funds represented a large share of overall spending will face the steepest drops.
Mark Lieberman, April 4, 2023
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4 min read
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States Here's How 4 States Spent Their ESSER Money
The Council of Chief State School Officers highlighted how state education agencies have used federal pandemic aid.
Libby Stanford, March 21, 2023
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5 min read
A young boy reaches into the open door of a school bus to grab a plastic bag of food handed to him by an adult.
A Jefferson County School District student receives several bags with free meals in Fayette, Miss.
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Education Funding A Surge in Funding for Homeless Students Is Waning. What Now?
COVID homeless aid helped schools locate more families and connect them to services. Advocates want to make the increase permanent.
Evie Blad, March 21, 2023
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3 min read
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona delivers a speech during the “Raise the Bar: Lead the World” event in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24, 2023.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks at the “Raise the Bar: Lead the World” event in Washington, on Jan. 24, 2023. Cardona spoke to state superintendents and school district leaders in speeches at the Council for Great City Schools and the Council of Chief State School Officers on March 20, 2023.
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States What the Education Secretary Said School Leaders Should Prioritize Right Now
Miguel Cardona, in a pair of speeches, urged K-12 leaders to lean into efforts to support student mental health and academic achievement.
Libby Stanford, March 20, 2023
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5 min read
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Budget & Finance Data See Which School Districts Declined Federal Pandemic Aid
Administrative hassle, philosophical disagreements, and abrupt school closures are among the reasons districts rejected ESSER funds.
Mark Lieberman, February 28, 2023
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1 min read
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Budget & Finance Why a Handful of School Districts Rejected COVID Relief Funds
Some districts thought ESSER funds weren't worth the bureaucratic hurdles. Others had philosophical disagreements.
Mark Lieberman, February 24, 2023
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4 min read
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Budget & Finance COVID Relief Funds Are on Their Way Out. Scrutiny Is Only Beginning
Auditors and policymakers are ramping up efforts to hold schools accountable for investing in helping students recover post-pandemic.
Mark Lieberman, February 17, 2023
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4 min read
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Budget & Finance Schools Are Heading Into a Perfect Financial Storm
School districts will lose the lifeline of COVID relief funds as they struggle with inflated costs and rising economic uncertainty.
Mark Lieberman, February 2, 2023
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7 min read
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