ESSER Funds

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

Explainer

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.
Phoenix Blalack, 6, works with a tutor on his laptop in his Indianapolis home on March 7, 2023.
Phoenix Blalack, 6, works with a tutor on his laptop in his Indianapolis home on March 7, 2023.
AJ Mast/AP
Budget & Finance Tutoring Can Be Costly. Here's How to Make It Cost-Effective
As a federal funding cutoff looms, some districts are finding ways to make intensive tutoring sustainable.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 25, 2023
9 min read
Illustration of a man pushing half of clock and half of a money coin forward on a red arrow
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Budget & Finance District Leaders Want More Time to Spend ESSER Funds—and More Money, Too
On Capitol Hill, superintendents pointed to big wins fueled by federal relief aid, from extended learning time to mental health support.
Mark Lieberman, September 21, 2023
4 min read
Budget & Finance Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Strategies for Closing the Funding Gap?
Answer 7 questions about school funding after ESSER.
September 8, 2023
Illustration of a dollar sign falling over a cliff.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Education Funding Explainer 3 Steps to Keep Tutoring Going When ESSER Money Runs Out
Schools may lose more than $1,200 per student as enrollment falls and federal COVID relief funds expire next year.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 28, 2023
4 min read
Illustration of a large dollar sign with small people running, jumping and climbing to get to end.
DigitalVision Vectors
Budget & Finance School Districts Prepare for Major Staffing Cuts as ESSER Winds Down
More than half of district leaders said in a new survey that they may have to cut many of the staff they used COVID relief money to hire.
Mark Lieberman, August 23, 2023
2 min read
Conceptual illustration of a coin in the top section of an hour glass
Dumitru Ochievschi/iStock/Getty
Budget & Finance 5 Signs a District Will Be at Risk When ESSER Runs Out
Two new resources are urging districts and states to be deliberate as they transition away from federal relief funds.
Mark Lieberman, August 22, 2023
4 min read
Illustration of employees attached to strings being cut by scissors.
DigitalVision Vectors / Getty
School & District Management ESSER's End Could Lead Districts to Cut Administrators. 6 Key Questions to Consider First
Districts should be strategic with cuts to administrative positions, experts say, even with the coming end of federal COVID-relief aid.
Mark Lieberman & Caitlynn Peetz, August 14, 2023
3 min read
Close up photo of Money Bills - Benjamin Franklin
Getty
Federal Voters Don't Think ESSER Funds Have Improved Their Schools, Poll Finds
In response to a poll from Democrats for Education Reform, voters said schools have stayed the same or become worse following the pandemic.
Libby Stanford, August 1, 2023
5 min read
Photo of cash in mousetrap.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Budget & Finance Auditors Are on the Hunt for ESSER Fraud. 5 Things to Know
Districts in some cases have failed to follow regulations for documenting spending—but criminal fraud findings have been minimal.
Mark Lieberman, July 20, 2023
6 min read
Students ride the bus home from Russellville Middle School in Russellville, Alabama, on Dec. 9, 2022.
Los estudiantes toman el autobús a casa desde la escuela secundaria Russellville en Russellville, Alabama, el 9 de diciembre de 2022.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English-Language Learners Project Este Distrito Está Teniendo Éxito con Estudiantes de Inglés. ¿Puede Mantener su Impulso?
Logros del sistema escolar de Alabama se ven amenazados por financiación limitada, necesidades no atendidas y política estatal moribunda.
Ileana Najarro, June 2, 2023
14 min read
Second grade students in Dalia Gerardo's class at West Elementary, in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022.
El salón de clases de segundo grado de Dalia Gerardo en West Elementary en Russellville, Alabama, se muestra aquí en diciembre de 2022. El salón de clases presenta etiquetas y decoraciones de pared en inglés y español.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English-Language Learners Project Un Pueblo de Alabama Ahora Ve en los Estudiantes de Inglés Su Futuro
¿Qué ocurrió cuando un distrito escolar cambió su cultura e invirtió en ayudas para los jóvenes estudiantes de inglés?
Ileana Najarro, June 2, 2023
15 min read
Illustration of hourglass with dollar symbol.
iStock / Getty
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
6 min read
Illustration of a female standing, and her shadow forms a dollar sign symbol.
uzenzen/iStock/Getty
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
5 min read
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
3 min read