Release of ESSER Supplemental (ESSER-SUPP) Funds to Eligible Texas Public School Districts and Open-enrollment Charter Schools
| Date: | June 24, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Release of ESSER Supplemental (ESSER-SUPP) Funds to Eligible Texas Public School Districts and Open-enrollment Charter Schools |
| Category: | Federal Grant Funding |
| Next Steps: | Review grant guidance |
Background Information
Survey data provided by public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to TEA indicated that a small number of school systems have more direct COVID-19 expenses and/or projected costs for learning loss recovery than they will receive under CRRSA ESSER II and ARP ESSER III formula funding.1 To address this need, the Texas Legislature specified a mechanism for school districts and charter schools who receive insufficient amounts of ESSER II and ESSER III funds to be eligible to apply for supplemental funding.
New Grant Program
ESSER-SUPP funding, authorized under TEC Section 29.930 as added by House Bill 1525, 87th Legislature, Regular Session, will use a portion of the state’s discretionary ESSER III funding to provide additional resources to pay for unreimbursed costs due to the coronavirus pandemic and for intensive educational supports for students not performing satisfactorily. A minimum of approximately $207 million in grant funding will be awarded in two grants during school years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 to approximately 125-150 eligible school districts and charter schools2. Preliminary and final allocations will be determined by the statutory formula using Fall Snapshot Enrollment data and ESSER II and ESSER III allocation data.
The grant funds must 1) be used to meet the intent of this program as stated above, 2) be used for costs that are reasonable and necessary, and 3) meet an allowable activity under the ESSER III statute, whether used for unreimbursed COVID-19 expenses or to address accelerated instruction for learning loss and the academic impact of lost instructional time. As part of this grant application process, and like ESSER II and III, superintendents must inform their boards of the one-time nature of these federal funds. School systems should not anticipate that ongoing, replacement funds will be provided at either the federal or state level.
Timeline
The following dates provide school districts and charter schools with the preliminary timeline for this new grant program.
|
March 13, 2020 |
Pre-award start date of grant period |
|
June 24, 2021 |
Preliminary eligibility list and planning allocations will be available on the grant Entitlements page. |
|
July 12, 2021 |
eGrants electronic grant application will be available on the TEA Grant Opportunities web page. |
|
July 12 through August 31, 2021 |
|
________________________________________________
1 Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act, Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund, and American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act, respectively.
2 TEA is requesting approval to increase the total amount of funding available to the amount needed to fully fund the ESSER-SUPP grant; however, that request may not be resolved for several months.
|
September 1, 2021 |
|
|
January/February 2022 |
Fiscal Year 2022 allocation amounts will be finalized after Fall Snapshot enrollment data becomes available to TEA |
|
January/February 2023 |
Fiscal Year 2023 allocation amounts will be finalized after Fall Snapshot enrollment data becomes available to TEA |
|
May 1, 2023 |
Deadline to submit grant amendments |
|
August 31, 2023 |
End date of grant period |
|
November 30, 2023 |
Revised Final Expenditure Report due to TEA |
Guidance and Contact Information
Guidance resources are available on the ESSER-SUPP page and can be also accessed from the Coronavirus webpage of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) at https://tea.texas.gov/coronavirus.
For support or additional information, please contact the Department of Grant Compliance and Administration at GrantSupport@tea.texas.gov.