ESSER
What is ESSER?
Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund
Under the ESSER relief fund, the US Department of Education awards grants to State Educational Agencies (SEAs) for the purpose of providing Local Education Agencies (LEAs), like the Harlem School District, 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.
ESSER I
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act)
ESSER II
Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA Act)
ESSER III
American Rescue Plan Act (ARP Act)
ESSER III Plan
ESSER III Allocations
Total Funds: $15,266,708
ESSER III Allocation (20% must be used to address learning loss) - $14,736,275
State-Level Reservation - Learning Loss - $378,881
State-Level Reservation - Summer Enrichment - $75,776
State-Level Reservation - After-School - $75,776
Funds must be obligated by September 30, 2024
ESSER III Plan
According to the U.S. Department of Education, the following areas must be evaluated when planning on how we utilize ESSER III funds.
1) The extent to which and how the funds will be used to implement prevention and mitigation strategies that are, to the extent practicable, consistent with CDC guidance.
The LEA has worked to space students creating environments that account for public health guidelines and are working with local and county health providers/officials to contact trace and follow quarantine guidelines. In addition, we have purchased additional air purifiers and trained our staff on proper mask-wearing, and cleaning classroom surfaces. Additional square footage will be added to specific buildings in order to account for greater distancing. With the additional square footage added to the high school, we can upgrade air quality and the ability to provide hands-on learning that was not accessible during the COVID-19 shutdown.
2) How it will use the funds it reserves under Section 2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act to address the academic impact of lost instructional time.
We are providing a robust and extended summer program to combat the effects of COVID-19. These are larger programs that have been typically offered with extended hours and weeks, causing us to hire additional secretarial, custodial, support and teaching staff. Most of our additional staff found in the Estimated Job tab is directly tied to this intensive program. Only 16 staff included in the Estimated Job tab will be maintained outside of the summer program. These staff members will be responsible for providing targeted support and wrap-around services as a result of COVID. In response to COVID to ensure consistent student instruction, we are also employing 26 daily (full day) long-term substitutes.
3) How it will use its remaining ARP ESSER funds.
Funds will be used for staffing, targeted supports to strengthen instructional programming and SEL, as well as to provide additional space, materials, supplies, interventions, and summer programming to respond to covid-19.
4) How it will ensure the interventions it implements will respond to the social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs of all students and particularly those students disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
We will use benchmark assessments to monitor student progress, provide additional credit recovery opportunities at the high school, and place additional staff to support students' academic and social-emotional needs. Tutoring services, as well as summer school programs, will be offered.
Our research has indicated the above supports and resources are best practices and provide students with the greatest opportunity to accelerate learning and mitigate the loss of learning.
We look at our individual student benchmark assessments to monitor student progress to determine if they are making appropriate growth. This is analyzed by subgroup.
Our equity teams and professional development specialists provide professional development to staff, addressing students that are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
5) How it engaged in meaningful consultation with stakeholders, including students; families; school and district administrators (including special education administrators); and teachers, principals, school leaders, other educators, school staff, and their unions.
The Harlem School District developed a reopening committee consisting of support staff, teachers, Union leadership, and administrators, including the Director of Student Support Services and the Director of Multicultural Education. This committee met regularly throughout the summer to develop the Safe Return plan and continues to meet quarterly and whenever the governor sends out new updates. Community and Stakeholder input has been crucial as part of reopening schools and the use of funds. Throughout this process, we have surveyed stakeholders, taken that input, and used it to help guide this application and how we intend to use our ARP funds.
The District created and requested the input/feedback of students, staff, families, and the community, in a survey format. The District saw great engagement and received over 600 responses to the survey. This survey allowed choice as well as open answer responses so that the district could make decisions based on the needs of stakeholders. After reviewing the results, we took that information and used it to inform the use of these funds.
6) How it engaged in meaningful consultation with each of the following to the extent present in or served by the LEA: tribes; civil rights organizations (including disability rights organizations); and stakeholders representing the interests of children with disabilities, English learners, children experiencing homelessness, children and youth in foster care, migratory students, children who are incarcerated, and other underserved students.
Community and Stakeholder input has been crucial as part of reopening schools and the use of funds. Throughout this process, we have surveyed stakeholders, taken that input, and used it to help guide this application and how we intend to use our ARP funds. The directors who oversee our historically underserved students were part of the decision-making process.
7) How it will seek and take public input into account.
The District created and requested the input/feedback of students, staff, families, and the community in a survey format. The District saw great engagement and received over 600 responses to the survey. This survey allowed choice as well as open answer responses so that the district could make decisions based on the needs of stakeholders. After reviewing the results, we took that information and used it to inform the use of these funds.
We've coordinated with multiple stakeholder groups to provide additional credit recovery opportunities at the high school, place additional staff to support students' academic and social-emotional needs, and utilize technology to engage student learning. In addition, tutoring services will be offered to students at-risk throughout the school year, summer school will be offered to recover, close the learning gap and accelerate learning.
Facilities and Operations
Ventilation Improvements for Science Labs
Air Purifiers
Sanitation and Disinfection Equipment
Career and Technical Education Facilities
Drinking Water Filtration Systems
Outdoor Learning Spaces
Elementary Building Facility Improvements
Storage Improvements
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Long-Term Substitute Teachers
Learning Loss
Elementary Targeted Support Specialist Positions
Secondary Student Mentors
Intervention Materials
Books and Digital Texts
iReady Assessments
Summer Enrichment
Enrichment Summer School Program
Certified and Non-Certified Summer Program Staff
2nd Step Program
Transportation
Technology
Instructional Online Licenses
Internet Hot Spots
Chromebooks
Computer Monitors
Promethean Boards
Infrastructure and Cyber Security
Tutoring
Before and After School Tutoring