Budget & Finance

District Leaders Want More Time to Spend ESSER Funds as Plans Go Astray

By Mark Lieberman — September 16, 2022 4 min read
Illustration of money, time, and a timer.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The deadline for schools to wrap up spending federal pandemic relief funds, is more than two years away. But some district leaders are already angling for more time to maximize their investments.

During several sessions here at the annual conference for the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) International, attendees and panelists this week expressed hope that the federal government will offer still more flexibility to finish allocating the more than $190 billion in ESSER funds, which school districts received in three rounds during the pandemic.

Current federal guidelines say schools must lock in spending decisions for all ESSER I funds by the end of this month; for ESSER II by Sept. 30, 2023; and ESSER III by Sept. 30, 2024. Then they have another five months from each of those dates to liquidate, or spend, the money.

Most districts have already exhausted their ESSER I supply, which mainly covered the cost of masks, personal protective equipment, contact tracing, and other pandemic response items. Several recent surveys of district spending show that most of ESSER II has been spent as well.

Districts are taking longer with ESSER III for a number of reasons:

  1. It’s the largest of the three sets of funds, totaling some $122 billion.
  2. Some states waited up to a year after Congress approved the funds before allowing districts to start spending them. Some state education departments took longer than others to submit their required ESSER plans to the federal government. In other states, legislators debated for months over whether to impose additional restrictions on how schools spend the funds.
  3. COVID conditions have changed multiple times since the funds went out, leading to rolling staff outages and scrambling districts’ premature plans for a smooth return to in-person learning.
  4. States are scrutinizing districts’ spending plans and asking for revisions in anticipation of audits that could eventually affect their bottom line.
  5. Supply chain issues and turbulence in the labor market have prevented some districts from securing construction projects or technology purchases.

One audience member during an ASBO session summed up a dilemma many districts are facing. Policymakers have advised against investing in recurring costs, like new personnel, that won’t be sustainable once the ESSER deadlines arrive. But when districts try to invest in stuff—as this administrator put it—it’s a lot more expensive than usual, or it may never arrive.

“We’re kind of in a box,” he said. “We’re trying to do the right thing.” Plus, he added, “there’s only so much new stuff you can buy.”

In the Little Elm district in Texas, an order of digital boards for classrooms is seven months behind schedule. “The time is clicking down,” said Shay Adams, the district’s assistant superintendent for business and finance. “What is our plan for that money if those don’t come in?”

She said her team has built in “triggers” that flag district leaders when an ESSER-funded item has taken too long to arrive, reminding them to divert funds elsewhere.

A ‘workaround’ to buy more spending time

What’s a district to do otherwise? Several conference presenters pitched a workaround: Apply ESSER dollars to salaries and benefits for existing district employees typically paid through general fund dollars—which federal regulations allow as part of “other activities that are necessary to maintain operation and continuity of services.” Then, use those general fund dollars for new investments, with no federal deadline or other ESSER regulations attached.

The U.S. Department of Education has shown some sympathy for these concerns. Roberto Rodríguez, the department’s assistant secretary of planning, evaluation, and policy development, said this summer that districts will be able to petition their state to apply for up to 18 extra months to spend on contracts, mainly for construction projects that will last beyond 2024.

But in an interview last month with Education Week, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said there’s only so much he can do to offer flexibility without asking Congress to rewrite the law.

“This isn’t a set of funds that are going to help address education for the next 10 or 15 years,” he said. “It’s for students now.”

In the meantime, ASBO panelists advised attendees to keep careful track of how their spending is progressing, and whether they’re following through with plans to set aside 20 percent of ESSER III dollars for initiatives that address learning loss.

Michele Trongaard, the associate superintendent for business and finance for the Mansfield district in Texas, said she had planned to spend the learning loss set-aside on a tutoring program, but pivoted after fewer students than expected signed up. Instead, that money will go toward summer school programs and Saturday classes in spring for students who need extra help.

Decisions like those show that districts’ plans for ESSER spending will continue to evolve. But according to several district leaders at the conference, the initial wave of public interest that accompanied the arrival of ESSER funds has dissipated. Some speculate that nationwide efforts to move on from the pandemic may be to blame.

“I do not get a lot of questions on ESSER,” Trongaard said. “Is that not bizarre?”

Events

Student Well-Being K-12 Essentials Forum Boosting Student and Staff Mental Health: What Schools Can Do
Join this free virtual event based on recent reporting on student and staff mental health challenges and how schools have responded.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Curriculum Webinar
Practical Methods for Integrating Computer Science into Core Curriculum
Dive into insights on integrating computer science into core curricula with expert tips and practical strategies to empower students at every grade level.
Content provided by Learning.com

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Budget & Finance How School Districts Can Avoid Costly Mistakes That Make Auditors Grumble
As ESSER funds expire, districts are looking to prevent costly mistakes that have ripple effects for years.
3 min read
Magnifying glass on financial chart
iStock/Getty
Budget & Finance From Our Research Center Do You Know How Much U.S. Schools Spend Per Student? (Most Educators Don't)
The gap between perception and reality could pose some potential problems for schools.
3 min read
Illustration of children walking across cliff with dollar bridge.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
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.
9 min read
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 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.
4 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