Key Takeaways from FAQs on ESSER and GEER Funds

On Might 26, 2021, the U.S. Division of Training launched a Often Requested Questions (FAQ) on ESSER and GEER funds.

This doc helps educators justify how and why they’ll entry these funds for his or her program. There are 78 questions and solutions about COVID-19 aid funds, and whereas some elements could seem very technical and dry (which they’re…), I’ve pulled out some highlights and key takeaways which you can carry to your principal to entry cash in your program. As you might know, these funds present faculties with over $200 billion of emergency aid funds to deal with the impression of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The FAQ doc is cut up into 5 sections:

1. 1. Overview of ESSER and GEER funds
   2. Reopening faculties safely and selling the well being and security of scholars, employees and the varsity neighborhood
   3. Advancing academic fairness in COVID-19 response
   4. Utilizing ESSER and GEER funds to assist educators and different college employees
   5. Further fiscal concerns

Click on right here when you need assistance decoding the acronyms used on this article.

Present Me the Cash

The COVID-19 aid funds (CARES, CRRSA and ARP) give faculties cash to make sure a secure and wholesome return to high school, whereas addressing studying loss and establishing fairness. ESSER specifies that there are 15 areas of “allowable use” in each state, and this FAQ clarifies how funds can be utilized.  

“… allowable makes use of of funds and describe how these funds could also be used to implement actionable methods to fulfill the pressing wants of scholars and educators as LEAs and faculties work to return to and safely maintain in-person instruction, deal with the tutorial inequities which were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and deal with college students’ social, emotional, psychological well being, and tutorial wants. …

“The DOE encourages States and LEAs to make use of the funds described on this doc to soundly reopen faculties, maximize in-person tutorial time for all college students, and supply alternatives to deal with the impacts of misplaced tutorial time ensuing from the COVID-19 pandemic. When making choices about find out how to use ESSER and GEER funds, States and LEAs are inspired to consider how the funds can be utilized to deal with inequities, together with focusing helps and providers on college students from low- revenue households, college students of colour, college students with disabilities, English learners, college students experiencing homelessness, youngsters and youth in foster care, migratory college students, youngsters who’re incarcerated, and different underserved college students who’ve been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.”

Earlier than you begin asking for funds, it’s best to use these questions to find out if an exercise is an allowable use of funds:

• “Is the usage of funds supposed to stop, put together for, or reply to the COVID-19 pandemic, together with its impression on the social, emotional, psychological well being, and tutorial wants of scholars?” 
• “Does the usage of funds fall below one of many approved makes use of of ESSER or GEER funds?”

In studying the FAQ, it’s obvious that the federal authorities needs these funds to focus on the secure reopening of faculties for all college students whereas sustaining security protocols and advancing academic fairness. Whereas these funds have been accessible for over a 12 months, most educators and even directors are nonetheless studying about how these funds can be utilized in addition to find out how to entry them. We have to do our half to ensure these funds might be used to assist music applications in our faculties.

Key Takeaways

I need to highlight a number of particular questions. As you start to draft your plan, these FAQs will allow you to deal with considerations out of your administrator.

C-2. How might an LEA use ESSER and GEER funds to assist college students who’ve misplaced tutorial time because of the COVID-19 pandemic?

ESSER and GEER funds can also be used to offer a wide range of actions and helps to assist enhance the achievement of scholars to deal with the impression of misplaced tutorial time because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, funds could also be used for prices related to evidence-based approaches to accelerating studying, high-dose tutoring, leveraging expertise to offer embedded evaluation and differentiated instruction, diagnostic and curriculum-embedded assessments, and lengthening the varsity day or 12 months to offer further time for scholar studying, enrichment, and assist. These prices might embrace supplementing the salaries of educators and different certified personnel to carry out further providers. ESSER and GEER funds can also be used to assist the prices related to hiring further lecturers and instructor aides to offer intensive assist to college students. ESSER and GEER funds might additional be used to offer skilled growth to educators on research-based methods for assembly college students’ tutorial, social, emotional, psychological well being, and faculty, profession, and future readiness wants, together with methods to speed up studying with out remediation or monitoring.

Music educators can use these funds for summer season alternatives together with:

• Marching band sectionals
• Starting band or string courses
• Producing a musical
• Educating music expertise courses (notation, writing beats, movie or online game scoring)
• Bucket drumming ensembles
• Basic music instruction with recorders or pianicas

Not solely are you able to train these courses, however these funds will also be used to rent personal lesson lecturers and coaches.

 

C-3. How might an LEA use ESSER and GEER funds to assist college students’ social, emotional, psychological well being, and tutorial wants, together with by hiring assist personnel equivalent to nurses, counselors, and social staff?

An LEA might use ESSER and GEER funds, together with the 20 p.c of ARP ESSER funds put aside to deal with the educational impression of misplaced tutorial time, to assist college students’ social, emotional, psychological well being, and tutorial wants, together with by implementing school-wide methods that improve helps and interventions for college kids in addition to focused help for college kids who want such helps. For instance, an LEA may rent further personnel to prioritize scholar well-being and well being by rising scholar entry to lecturers, nurses, steerage counselors, social staff, and different assist personnel.

LEAs must also work to make sure that faculties are implementing tutorial practices which might be culturally responsive and that incorporate trauma-informed pedagogy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Everyone knows the advantages of music schooling and the way it can assist our college students’ social, emotional and psychological well being wants. Why not use this cash to begin or broaden your music applications? Don’t neglect that buying further musical devices and mouthpieces for every scholar eliminates sharing and falls below allowable use #5 of ESSER funds.

C-25. What sorts of summer season applications might ESSER and GEER funds assist?

ESSER and GEER funds might present broad assist for summer season studying and enrichment applications. Provided that this summer season affords college students a essential alternative, LEAs ought to think about a wide range of choices for procuring summer season providers with ESSER and GEER funds, together with applications run by non-profit or neighborhood organizations in addition to these run by the LEA. Efficient summer season programming can deal with college students’ social, emotional, psychological well being, and tutorial wants by means of a mix of actions that embrace sturdy partnerships with community-based organizations and different summer season suppliers, together with summer season camps. These partnerships will help to maintain these applications and also can assist applications in rural and distant communities.

Partnering with a non-profit or neighborhood arts-based group could be helpful for each your college students and the neighborhood.
 

D-1. Might an LEA use ESSER and GEER funds to stabilize and assist the educator workforce?

Sure. An LEA might use ESSER and GEER funds to stabilize and assist the educator workforce and to assist the circumstances that may permit faculties to return to in-person instruction. This will likely embrace utilizing funds to pay instructor salaries and keep away from layoffs. Funds can also be used to deal with educator shortages exacerbated by the pandemic by hiring new lecturers, together with increasing scholar entry to a well- ready and numerous educator workforce.

If All Else Fails, Don’t Neglect Allowable Use #1

The federal authorities has allotted more cash than ever earlier than, and faculty districts are struggling to maintain up with all elements of the COVID-19 federal aid funds. Over the previous months, educators have informed me that their district says that “music and the humanities don’t match into the allowable makes use of.” This isn’t true. The language for allowable use #1 of the ARP Act states that funds can be utilized for:

Any exercise approved by the Elementary and Secondary Training Act of 1965.

ESEA contains the Each Pupil Succeeds Act (ESSA), and each spell out that music is part of a “well-rounded schooling.”

Motion Gadgets

ESSER and GEER funds can be utilized to pay instructor salaries and keep away from layoffs. We should keep our applications and deal with our college students’ social, emotional and psychological well being wants. Begin now, do your homework and meet along with your supervisor to ensure your voice is heard to find out how these funds can be utilized to assist your program.

Further Sources

Often Requested Questions: Elementary and Secondary College Emergency Aid Applications Governor’s Emergency Training Aid Applications

Roadmap to Reopening Safely and Assembly All College students’ Wants

Decoding Acronyms

• ARP Act = American Rescue Plan Act
• CARES Act = Coronavirus Support, Aid, and Financial Safety Act,
• CRRSA Act = Coronavirus Response and Aid Supplemental Appropriations Act
• DOE = U.S. Division of Training
• ESEA = Elementary and Secondary Training Act
• ESSA = Each Pupil Succeeds Act
• ESSER = Elementary and Secondary College Emergency Aid
• GEER = Governor’s Emergency Training Aid
• LEA = Native Training Company (aka College District)
• SEA = State Training Company (aka State Division of Training)

Allowable Makes use of of ESSER and GEER Funds

ESSER spells out “allowable makes use of” in every of the COVID-19 federal aid funds. Under is the listing of 15 allowable makes use of from ESSER III, which is a part of the ARP act: 

1. 1. Any exercise approved by the ESEA, the People with Disabilities Training Act (IDEA), the Grownup Training and Household Literacy Act (AEFLA), or the Carl D. Perkins Profession and Technical Training Act of 2006 (Perkins).
   2. Coordination of LEA preparedness and response efforts with state, native, tribal, and territorial public well being departments, and different related companies, to enhance coordinated responses with different companies to stop, put together for, and reply to coronavirus.
   3. Actions to deal with the distinctive wants of low-income youngsters or college students, youngsters with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, college students experiencing homelessness, and foster care youth, together with how outreach and repair supply will meet the wants of every inhabitants.
   4. Growing and implementing procedures and techniques to enhance the preparedness and response efforts of LEAs.
   5. Coaching {and professional} growth for LEA employees on sanitation and minimizing the unfold of infectious illnesses.
   6. Buying provides to sanitize and clear the services of an LEA, together with buildings operated by such company.
   7. Planning for, coordinating, and implementing actions throughout long-term closures, together with find out how to present meals, expertise for on-line studying, steerage on IDEA necessities, and making certain different academic providers can proceed to be supplied in step with all relevant necessities.
   8. Buying academic expertise (together with {hardware}, software program, and connectivity) for college kids served by the LEA that aids in common and substantive academic interactions between college students and their classroom lecturers, together with low-income college students and kids with disabilities, which can embrace assistive expertise or adaptive gear.
   9. Offering psychological well being providers and helps, together with by means of the implementation of evidence-based full-service neighborhood faculties.
   10. Planning and implementing actions associated to summer season studying and supplemental afterschool applications, together with offering classroom instruction or on-line studying through the summer season months and addressing the wants of low-income college students, college students with disabilities, English learners, migrant college students, college students experiencing homelessness, and kids in foster care.
   11. Addressing studying loss amongst college students, together with low-income college students, college students with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, college students experiencing homelessness, and kids in foster care, of the native academic company, together with by
       • Administering and utilizing high-quality assessments which might be legitimate and dependable, to precisely assess college students’ tutorial progress and help educators in assembly college students’ tutorial progress and help educators in assembly college students’ tutorial wants, together with by means of differentiating instruction.
       • Implementing evidence-based actions to fulfill the great wants of scholars.
       • Offering data and help to folks and households on how they’ll successfully assist college students, together with in a distance studying atmosphere.
       • Monitoring scholar attendance and enhancing scholar engagement in distance schooling.
   12. College facility repairs and enhancements to scale back danger of virus transmission and publicity to environmental well being hazards, and to assist scholar well being wants.
   13. Inspection, testing, upkeep, restore, alternative, and improve initiatives to enhance the indoor air high quality at school services, together with mechanical and non-mechanical heating, air flow, and air-con techniques, filtering, purification, and different air cleansing, followers, management techniques, and window and door restore and alternative.
   14. Growing methods and implementing public well being protocols together with, to the best extent practicable, insurance policies in keeping with steerage from the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention for the reopening and operation of college services to successfully keep the well being and security of scholars, educators, and different employees
   15. Different actions which might be mandatory to take care of operations and continuity of providers and persevering with to make use of current employees.

Yamaha is an energetic advocate for music schooling, and we need to empower music educators to strengthen their applications in any approach we are able to. Please register for the Yamaha Educator e-newsletter to learn up on advocacy, skilled growth, details about devices, sources, partnerships in schooling and extra. Be part of the Yamaha Music Educator Neighborhood on Fb or email us at This e mail deal with is being shielded from spambots. You want JavaScript enabled to view it..