A look at District 428 ESSER funds
District 428 received the following federal government CARES Act and ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funding to help mitigate the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
CARES Act (ESSER 1): $1,609,122
ESSER 2: $6,300,850
ESSER 3: $15, 569,426
On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act was signed into law. In it, the U.S. Department of Education is providing an additional $121.9 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ARP ESSER Fund). This legislation awards grants to state educational agencies (SEAs) for providing local educational agencies (LEAs, i.e., school districts) with emergency relief funds to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools across the nation.
Opportunities for meaningful consultation provided valuable input to write the grant from various stakeholders in and outside the district, including D428 teachers, staff, administration, professional unions, families, students, and stakeholders representing the interests of children with disabilities, English learners, children experiencing homelessness, migratory students, and student in foster care. The plan was presented to the board of education in an open meeting to provide a public forum, and the plan was posted on our website. On the website, there is a Google form that community members can fill out to provide input on the spending of the grant. This will be monitored monthly so that the correct information is submitted for amendments.
Below is a summary of the plan for DeKalb CUSD 428.
Click on the link below to provide suggestions on how the ESSER III grant dollars are to be spent.
Public Comment Forum
Presentation made to the board about the spending plan on April 5, 2022.
ARP/ESSER III Allocation Plan
ESSER III General Allocation = $14,143,973(at least 20% of which must be used to address the loss of learning)
Proposed Expenditures
Technology
- Updated servers and storage capacity
- Enhanced Cyber Security
- Digital licenses for instructional purposes
- Enhanced Telepresence in classrooms for remote learning
Instruction and Student Supports
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Continue Expanded Summer School (teachers, assistants, student support, transportation)
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Reading Intervention for Students to Excel (RISE) - Staff and Materials
Expanded Instructional Software Options
- Remote Instruction
Enhanced Social & Emotional, Nursing, Student Supervision, and Instructional Supports
- Additional PE, Art, Music Supplies/Equipment
Transportation Reimbursement to Parents/Guardians
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$1,000 Student Support Allocation for each DCTA Member
- Preparing for re-opening of school
Preparing for the Opening of the School Year
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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – masks, gloves, face shields, disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer, social distancing strategies
Facilities
- HVAC and Facility Projects
ESSER III State Set-Aside Allocation for Targeted Funding
Target 1: Learning Loss ($1,018,181)
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Teachers to teach remote students
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Longterm substitute teachers to support students that are quarantined
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Additional School Social Workers and Counselors
Additional School Nurses
Target 2: Summer Enrichment ($203,636)
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Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math (STEAM)
- Summer Middle School Program
Target 3: After School Programs ($203,636)
- Afterschool programs for PreK-8 students to support learning loss and skill reinforcement-(i.e. Adventure Works, YMCA, DeKalb Park District)
** All expenditures, along with specific planning for afterschool and summer school programs, will be dependent on grant approval.