Mythbusting on ESSER

I'm told this was recorded; I'll link once it is up

Jess Gartner, CEO Allovue
Dr. Sonja Santelises, Baltimore Public Schools
Dr. Susan Enfield, Highline Public Schools (WA)
Krystafer Redden, Asso. Chief of Staff for System Transformation, RI Education

Gartner: "have been yelling about ESSER via Twitter and into the great void"
immediately see where we were going to have opportunities and challenges
two years later, really starting to see the rubber hit the road on these
Complexity and difficulty in understanding school finance
higher stakes than usual
not all info is correct, not all correctly contextualized
13,000 LEAs, "probably as many scenarios"
"so many nuances, so many complexities"
really encourage to go see if you can look up your district or state's own plans
contextualize 
"can't overstate how much this really varies from one place to another"
very localized school systems and local control makes generalizing difficult

ESSER is three different grants, three different periods of time
ESSER I and II primarily used on crisis mitigation 
Combined total was about $1200/pupil

Baltimore super notes delay from state in approval of spending plan
still had large numbers of students who needed technology
food service, getting food to kids
$4M went to 28 charter schools as well
about 90% of first round already spent; about 40% of second round spent or encumbered
second round went a lot of COVID testing so families and teachers could feel safe 
close to $33M went to testing
facilities upgrades: HVAC
chronically underfunded for facilities school district

Gartner: "we're going to talk later about this word 'spent'"
has about eight different definitions
some of the confusion here is what to you mean when you ask or say 'spent'

Redden: some of the initial challenges of translating federal legislation into state and local application
multi-pronged approach
flexibility in spending but not a big lift in outlining priorities
ESSER I so focuses on emergency mitigation

Gartner: application also has a lot of different definitions
misunderstanding that states could run out of money or districts could be denied
"this use of the word 'application' means something different"

Redden: in this context, means "a plan"
even more than a narrative plan, a spending plan aligned to needs and priorities
"was really about moving dollars as quickly as possible"
using as much data as we had at the time
identify need and articulate how resources at the federal level would be used to meet those needs

Gartner: not competitive and distribution is proportional
"it's really a quality assurance check" to be sure it's aligned

Redden: "that doesn't come without hiccups" using the Title I allocation
there are schools and districts that don't receive Title I dollars

Gartner: ESSER III, came through March '21 in American Rescue Plan
Not assigned to a single fiscal year
the three grants across six fiscal years of which this is the third
fed wanted to see state plans before they released the final third of the dollars

Enfield: ESSER III: wait for the Legislature to ID the appropriation for the state agency
received about $43M
Started spending right at the beginning of this school year
requirement that engage in some community engagement; "you've got to be out talking to families and community members"
"The more we can engage people in our budget decisions and processes, the better."
balance meeting some basic needs with dollars, but also see real impact from student learning
"have a responsibility to show them that"
launched a virtual academy
engagement, and then balance between meeting basic needs and strategical long term investment

Gartner: because of the lag in reporting, are probably still ESSER I and II dollars
because of that lag, there's going to be a disconnect: those are going to be disproportionately spend on mitigation, as those are ESSER I and II; III, which is learning for many, haven't yet been reported
Not to mention that some districts haven't yet received ESSER III dollars yet

Redden: on reporting: reimbursement requests, how things are implemented
an "and both" approach
encouraging folks to attend
"reflecting, reviewing, and amending at a minimum every six months"
"continue that reflective process...amend how you're spending those dollars"

Gartner: looking at a few hundred bucks per kid per year
we've maybe started to get some reporting from FY20, maybe some from FY21
reporting at state level, then federal level "and these things take time"
"normal education finance reporting lags by three years"
the most recent school finance data is 17-18!
"there's a real misalignment in expectations" between public reporting expectations and reality
"what you're really seeing is percent that has been spent and reported and recorded"
lots of other dollars in process
"depending on exactly what you mean, I could give you six different answers that are correct"
in many cases we have (the equivalent of a) thirty six month contract
and that isn't showing up in the statement

Santelises: "that plan was our initial best thinking"
priorities that the communities have articulated: safety, mental health, 
challenge has been finding mental health professionals: have allotted those dollars, but if the positions aren't filled, the dollars haven't been spent
iterative planning which remains true to essentials but is going to adjust

Gartner: over 100,000 schools in the country
are seeing districts balance the ability to centrally make some of these decisions with giving some individual school leaders that are specific to their school communities
that reporting then may take even longer, to customize to individual schools

Enfield: need to pivot and respond
to be true to genuine engagement to staff and community: that takes time
"pretty rare you get money with this amount of flexibility in education"
set aside $4M to be allocated by families engaged through process
"it's been hard to hire people"
not attach one time dollars to long term salary costs
January was the month that lasted a year
increased sub time, increase amount for teachers covering a colleague's class
very complex dance of being strategic, innovative, responsive
pivoting in the face of this changing reality
"we are not going into this without good planning"

Gartner: have up to six years to spend; spend all at once or stretch to last day or everything in between

Redden: opportunity for clear and consistent communication across all levels
wanted people to think at least two school years and three summers: RI to districts
aren't going to solve these problems overnight; think long-term for the full life cycle of these funds
reflecting on each cycle of data that they receive over the years
do priorities need to shift?

Gartner: coping with backlogs of maintenance

Santelises: what portion of money needs to go to on the ground, re-engagement
how much to be used to buttress building issues
plan to make sure every school without HVAC would receive it
which schools are already past their cycle of life; how to get ahead of it
bathrooms are incredibly important: bathrooms are usually the last thing that we focus on
based on equity mapping used to drive resource allocation
"immediate improvement that's tangible for students and families"
link dollars and the strategic process: take that into account when looking into reporting
deliberately spreading out funding over time
"not looking at quick spending as the best spending"
linking to MD's new funding formula (like MA!)

Gartner: new money is creating positions that did not previously exist; teaching program enrollment long timer; macro trends

Enfield: addressing the immediate need while looking to longer term
what is sustainable over time: support adults in schools
making investments around wellness in schools rather than salaries
support well being of teachers and staff to keep them here

Santelises: more around creating more time for teachers 
time for teachers
still live in a capitalist country
rolling bus driver days out

Gartner: ESSER headline you'd like to see

Enfield: "School districts are carefully and intentionally planning with staff and community how to best use these dollars to maximize impact for kids"
not irresponsible or not planning
Redden: "this is not a moment for gotchas or compliance" for state; might involve disagreements or tough conversations
Santelises: "Spending quickly does not equal spending smart"