ESSER Grant
ESSER III Grant
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) recently announced the availability of $11.2 billion in federal funding to school districts through ESSER III under the American Rescue Plan. This is a substantial sum of money, though amounts vary significantly from district to district.
This page on our website will be used to communicate with our staff, parents, and community members about the ESSER III funds (ESSER stands for Elementary and Secondary Emergency Education Relief). These are federal funds sent to the states to help cover costs associated with learning loss due to COVID-19 and the cost of online instruction, facilities improvements, and the pandemic.
What is the ESSER III Grant?
ARP ESER III Overview: The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021, Public Law 117-2, was enacted on March 11, 2021. The ARP Act provides additional funding for school districts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Education portion of ARP is known as the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III or ARP ESSER) Fund.
General grant specifics are as follows:
- Grant Timeframe: Grant expires September 30, 2023. If needed, districts can carry over unused funds and be allowed to continue spending until September 30, 2024.
- Districts will be required to follow all federal, state, and local regulations and requirements for federal grant administration and fiscal spending of funds.
ARP ESSER III Purpose: The purpose of the ARP ESSER III fund is to address learning loss and support the safe reopening and sustaining safe operations of schools while meeting students' academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools. ARP ESSER III grant funds were issued for one-time or short-term types of expenditures to address the identified needs caused by the pandemic.