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PANDEMIC RESPONSE FUNDS PRIMER

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KEY POINTS

  • Pandemic Response Funds are federal funds that travel through state governments to public school districts
    • Three rounds of funding

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  • One time revenues
    • Can be used only one time
    • EXAMPLE: Would you rather receive $6 million one time or $3 million this year and in every future year?

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  • Revenues come with various restrictions and spending requirements

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WHAT’S BEEN DONE TO THIS POINT?

  • Unlike some other school districts, Shakopee Public Schools has adopted the approach of “other duties as assigned”.
    • DISTRICT COVID POSITIONS-- COORDINATOR, HEALTH & SAFETY PROTOCOLS, TESTING, VACCINES, QUARANTINE COMMUNICATIONS, ETC.
    • BUILDING COVID POSITIONS-- COORDINATOR, HEALTH & SAFETY PROTOCOLS, TESTING, VACCINES, ETC.
  • We have added hours when needed to our Health Services.

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WHAT’S BEEN DONE TO THIS POINT?

LIVE LINKS (same links above are not active): CRF Entry FY 21 and Scott Cty Cares Detail.pdf

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WHAT’S BEEN DONE TO THIS POINT?

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WHAT’S BEEN DONE TO THIS POINT?

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THREE ROUNDS OF FUNDING

At various stages during the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government has provided relief funds to public school districts across the country. The passing of laws and the proposed delivery/use periods for these funds can be broadly broken into three rounds. The timing, naming of the funds, rules determining appropriate uses of the funds, and time periods for spending the funds are complex in nature. For many, using ‘three rounds’ of funding is the best means to organize this information.

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THREE ROUNDS OF FUNDING

Round One

  • Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act-- passed by the federal government on March 27, 2020
    • Education Stabilization Fund
      • Two sources of funding for schools:
        • Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER)
          • Shakopee Public Schools $159,159 [Technology and summer school programming]
        • Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER)
          • ESSER 90% is a formula-based allocation (Title I, Part A)
            • Shakopee Public Schools $501,036 [Keeping students healthy and connected to learning, other local needs]
          • ESSER 9.5% are state-directed grants
            • Shakopee Public Schools $289,111 [Summer school programming needs, mental health supports, historically underserved populations]
      • Also contains the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF), which establishes payments to state, local and Tribal governments. Funds were available from July 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020.
        • Shakopee Public Schools $2,351,832 [Operational costs and cleaning supplies, socially distant transportation, other student, family, and education needs]

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  • Scott County CARES Funds
    • Shakopee Public Schools $236,976 [Technology needs linked to distance learning, child care needs, food service needs]
      • Funds were available from March 13, 2020 to November 30, 2020.

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THREE ROUNDS OF FUNDING

Round Two

  • Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriation Act (ESSER) II Fund
    • ESSER II 90% is a formula-based allocation (Title I, Part A)
      • Shakopee Public Schools $2,379,635 [Spending rules are not known]
        • Funds available from March 13, 2020 through September 30, 2023
    • ESSER II 9.5% are state-directed grants
      • Major portion of this funding is for schools that are not Title eligible
      • Expand Summer School initiative
        • $4 per student per hour. Amount to be determined

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THREE ROUNDS OF FUNDING

Round Three

In March 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act was signed into federal law. This act includes a third round of Elementary and Secondary School Relief Funding (ESSER) III.

  • Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III Fund
    • ESSER III 90% is a formula-based allocation (Title I, Part A)
      • Shakopee Public Schools $5,344,323 [Spending rules are not known]
        • 20% of this grant must be spent on activities that address ‘learning loss’
        • Funds will be available to be used through September 30, 2023.
    • ESSER III 9.5% are state-directed grants
      • Shakopee Public Schools $? [Eligibility/spending rules are not known; State Legislature has not approved this part of ESSER III]

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WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

  • Waiting on clarity in terms of expenditure restrictions and rules.

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  • Continued planning and brainstorming
    • Best ways to meet learning needs of students from now through September 2023

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  • Doing our best to protect Fund 1 (General Fund/Operating Fund)
    • Hoping to outperform current budget projections and add a bit to the unassigned fund balance

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WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

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WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

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SUMMARY

  • The subject of Pandemic Response Funds is complex
    • Different distribution methods for funds
    • Different rules and timelines for expenditures of these funds

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  • One time revenues
    • Do not solve an ongoing, structural budget deficit. At best, they push the problem off for a period of time.

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  • To this point in time, we have used pandemic response funds to respond to the pandemic and to make up for funding shortfalls caused by pandemic related changes to enrollment.
    • We have done things in ways we’ve never done before.
      • Summer meal service
      • Implementing health and safety protocols
      • Managing COVID-19 cases, quarantines, and isolation for students and staff

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  • Moving forward, we will continue to figure out the best way to use these funds to reconnect and accelerate student learning. In other words, to best meet the learning challenges caused by the pandemic.