Background
Three separate Federal Acts have provided vital support to schools as they work to accomplish three goals: reopening schools; maximize in-person instruction; and address the impact of COVID-19 on students, educators, and families. The three Federal Funding Acts are: Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES), Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA), and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP).
The CARES Act was approved in March 2020 and is funded from two federal programs: Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund and the Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund. The CARES Act funding was utilized as a part of the 2020-2021 school budget and was accounted for in the General Fund. The Íæż½ã½ã School Íæż½ã½ã was allocated $837,326 in CARES funding. The CARES Act Project period was from March 13, 2020 - September 30, 2022
The CRRSA Act was approved in December 2020 and is funded from the same two federal programs as the CARES Act: GEER 2 Fund and the ESSER 2 Fund. The CRRSA Act funding is for 2021 and forward, for which planning is currently in progress. This funding is to be accounted for in the Special Aid Fund and treated as a grant in aid. The Íæż½ã½ã School Íæż½ã½ã was allocated $5,622,486 in CRRSA funding. The CRRSA Act project period is from March 13, 2020 - September 30, 2023.
The ARP Act was approved in March 2021 and is funded by the ESSER 3 Fund. The ARP Act funding is for 2021 and forward. The Íæż½ã½ã School Íæż½ã½ã was allocated $13,196,291 in ARP funding. The first allocation was ARP ESSER for $5,643,198. Of that funding amount, $1,128,640 must be allocated to address Learning Loss. The third part of ARP was used to address the State Reserves of $7,553,093. Of this total, $5,395,023 must be allocated to address Learning Loss, $1,079,035 must be allocated for a Summer Enrichment Program and $1,079,035 for a Comprehensive After School Program. The ARP Act project period is from March 13, 2020 - September 30, 2024.
Education Stabilization Funds Rules
School districts are required to seek public comment from stakeholders on the planned use of funds. The 2021-2022 enacted state budget requires school districts to post the funding plan on the district website by July 1, 2021. The plan must primarily focus on non-recurring expenses. Íæż½ã½ãs are required to track funds separately in the Special Aid Fund and obligate the funds no later than September 30, 2024. Lastly, districts are required to review and, as appropriate, revise and seek public input on any plan modifications on a regular basis, but no less than every six months.
Educational Stabilization Funds Permissible Expense Areas
These emergency resources were made available for a wide range of activities to address diverse needs arising from or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, or to emerge stronger post-pandemic.
Íæż½ã½ãs are required to prioritize spending in the following areas:
Safely returning students to in-person instruction;
Maximizing in-person instruction time;
Operating schools and meeting the needs of students;
Improving indoor air quality;
Repairing and improving school facilities;
Purchasing educational technology;
Addressing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on students, including the impacts of interrupted instruction and learning loss, and the impacts on low-income students, children with disabilities, English Language Learners, and students experiencing homelessness;
Implementing evidence-based strategies to meet students’ social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs;
Offering evidence-based summer, after-school, and other extended learning and enrichment programs; and
Supporting early childhood education.
Consultation and Collaboration
A variety of opportunities for collaboration and commentary regarding the use of the Education Stabilization Funds were provided throughout the school year to obtain community input. These different formats were used to ensure everyone had equal access to the information and the ability to contribute.
The district held a stakeholder meeting on 6/22/2021 and just held the second one on 6/8/2022. The district coordinator of Funded Programs shared with the stakeholders the use of funds in the 2021-2022 year. Plans for the 2022-2023 school year were also discussed.This meeting was held virtually due to the size of the group. Participants had the ability to share information throughout the meeting. They were able to ask questions and interact throughout the presentation. The chat box was also available. In addition, personal contact information was shared by the data/grant coordinator in case someone wanted to discuss any questions or concerns.
Additional meetings were held to discuss the proposals being drafted for the 2022-2023 school year. Those stakeholder meetings consisting of administrators, teachers, parents, private school partners, community resource center staff, and students, were held on September 21, 2021, and on May 24, 2022. The meeting for the 2022-23 review will be held on March 6, 2023. This will be held virtually. If you would like to attend the meeting please contact Ellen Herrick at 631-968-1243 or email her at eherrick@bayshore.k12.ny.us. Additionally, if you have any questions or concerns and would like to discuss any or all of these funds please feel free to reach out to Ellen Herrick. In person meetings can be arranged to review and discuss the Education Stabilization Funds.