Navigating the ESSER Funds: How Schools Utilized Federal Pandemic Relief

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools across the nation received substantial federal funding to mitigate the spread of the virus while maintaining educational quality. This article delves into the details of how the Appleton area schools utilized these funds, known as the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, and the challenges they faced in allocating the resources effectively.

Empowering Schools to Adapt and Thrive

Exploring the ESSER Funding Landscape

The ESSER funds were provided to schools through three distinct rounds of federal assistance, each with its own set of guidelines and priorities. ESSER I, allocated in 2020, focused on technology, student mental health support, and summer learning programs. ESSER II, also distributed in 2020, expanded the scope to include safe school reopening and addressing learning loss. ESSER III, granted in early 2021, covered similar areas as its predecessors.

The distribution of these funds was based on the level of student poverty within each school district, ensuring that the areas most in need received the necessary resources. Schools were granted broad discretion in how they could utilize the ESSER funds, with the only requirement being that the spending be categorized into one of the following areas: addressing after-school and summer learning, long-term school closures, educational technology, mental health services and supports, outreach and service delivery to special populations, and preparedness and response to COVID-19.

However, the expiration of these funds by September has created significant challenges for many school districts, as they may have relied on the ESSER funds for staffing or other initiatives that will no longer be supported once the funding period ends.

Menasha School District: Prioritizing Student Needs

The Menasha School District utilized the majority of its .3 million ESSER allocation to increase staffing, including the addition of classroom practice coaches to assist teachers in managing the developmental delays experienced by students due to the lack of social interactions during the pandemic. While the district was able to address these pressing needs, the impending end of the ESSER funding has left them facing a .5 million budget deficit, leading to staff reductions and the closure of Jefferson Elementary School.

Superintendent Matt Zimmerman emphasized the ongoing challenge of meeting the evolving needs of the student population, stating, "The real story is around the fact that the needs of the students that we're educating continue to increase. We're not getting enough money from the state or the federal government in order to meet those needs." This sentiment echoes the struggles faced by school districts across the state, as state funding often fails to keep pace with the rising costs and demands of education.

Kaukauna School District: Addressing Operational Challenges

The Kaukauna Area School District received approximately .6 million in ESSER funds, which were primarily utilized to address the operational challenges posed by the pandemic. The district allocated significant resources to enhance busing services, increase cleaning efforts, and provide salaries for additional staff members, such as interventionists, to assist students in addressing learning gaps.

According to Bob Schafer, the district's financial officer, the ESSER funds were instrumental in maintaining the district's operations during the prolonged school closures, with approximately million dedicated to addressing these long-term disruptions. However, as the ESSER funding expires, the district will no longer be able to sustain the additional staffing and services that were implemented to support students during the pandemic.

Appleton Area School District: Investing in Student Support

The Appleton Area School District received a total of .46 million in ESSER funds and has spent approximately .2 million of this allocation. The district's primary focus was to utilize 70% of the funds to hire additional staff members, including graduation coaches, recovery labs, and specialized support for students whose first language is not English.

Superintendent Greg Hartjes acknowledged the difficult decision to create these positions, knowing that they would need to be eliminated once the ESSER funding expired. "If we put dollars into staffing, we knew we were going to have to take those positions away," Hartjes said. "It was difficult, but we still think it was the right thing to do to put our ESSER dollars into staff."

In addition to the staffing investments, the Appleton Area School District also utilized ESSER funds to enhance its preparedness and response to COVID-19, including the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE), high-efficiency HVAC filters, and the construction of dedicated COVID-19 isolation rooms. The remaining ESSER funds will be fully utilized by September, as the district continues to prioritize the needs of its students.

Neenah Joint School District: Embracing Technology and Wellness

The Neenah Joint School District has spent approximately .68 million of the .23 million in ESSER funds allocated to the district. The majority of these funds were directed towards educational technology, such as Zoom, Bluetooth recording systems, and Dreambox software, to support virtual learning and curriculum delivery.

Additionally, the district allocated resources to address mental health services and supports, as well as preparedness and response to COVID-19, including cleaning services, personal protective equipment, and air handling system upgrades. A small portion of the ESSER funds, approximately ,000, was also used to provide COVID-19 screening, cleaning materials, and virtual curriculum to local private schools.

Jim Strick, the communications director for the Neenah Joint School District, emphasized the district's focus on leveraging technology and prioritizing student wellness during the pandemic, ensuring that both academic and social-emotional needs were addressed through the strategic allocation of ESSER resources.

Kimberly Area School District: Staffing as a Priority

The Kimberly Area School District has spent approximately .17 million of the million in ESSER funds allocated to the district. The majority of these funds were directed towards staffing, with Superintendent Bob Mayfield highlighting the district's emphasis on utilizing the ESSER resources to support its personnel.

The ESSER funds were used to address long-term school closures, mental health services and supports, and preparedness and response to COVID-19. The district also allocated a small portion of the ESSER I funds, approximately ,000, to provide services for students and teachers in non-district public schools.

As the ESSER funding period comes to an end, the Kimberly Area School District, like many others, will need to find alternative sources of funding to sustain the staffing levels and initiatives that were implemented during the pandemic.

Little Chute School District and Hortonville School District: Diverse Spending Priorities

The Little Chute School District and the Hortonville School District have also utilized their ESSER funds to address a range of priorities, including long-term school closures, mental health services, educational technology, and preparedness and response to COVID-19.

The Little Chute School District has spent approximately .23 million of its .31 million allocation, focusing on areas such as addressing long-term school closures, mental health support, and outreach to special populations. The Hortonville School District, on the other hand, has spent approximately .38 million of its .39 million allocation, with a significant portion directed towards addressing long-term school closures and enhancing preparedness and response to the pandemic.

While the specific spending details for these districts were not readily available, their experiences highlight the diverse ways in which schools have leveraged the ESSER funds to meet the unique needs of their respective communities during the COVID-19 crisis.