FY2021: CvRF School Reopening Grant Program

Fund Code: 102

Purpose:

The purpose of the Coronarvirus Relief Fund (CvRF) School Reopening Grants is to provide eligible school districts and charter schools with funding to support costs to reopen schools. This funding, $225 per student based on FY2021 foundation enrollment, is intended to supplement other resources that the Governor is providing to cities and towns for COVID-19 response efforts as well as funds made available by DESE through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) grants and the Remote Learning Technology Essentials (RLTE) grants.

The Coronavirus Relief Fund allows state and local governments to make payments for programs that:

1. are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19);
2. were not accounted for in the State or local budget most recently approved as of the date of enactment [March 27, 2020] of section 5001 of the CARES Act; and
3. were incurred during the period that begins on March 1, 2020 and ends on December 31, 2021.

Allowable Uses:

This grant program is focused on providing schools and districts with funding needed in providing educational services and developing plans for the return to normal operations. Funds may be used for a wide variety of purposes, including but not limited those listed below.

• Staff
  • Staff needed to serve students for conditions related to the public health emergency
  • Training and professional development for district staff on topics such as effective remote learning strategies, hygiene, and minimizing the spread of infectious disease when in-person school resumes
• Student Services
  • Educational technology (internet connectivity, hardware, devices, software, technology support services, etc.) to facilitate remote learning in addition to Remote Learning Technology Essentials Program funding
  • Mental health services and supports for those affected by the public health emergency
  • Assessing learning gaps that occurred because of the public health emergency and implementing strategies to address these gaps
• Vendor Services
  • Food service for vulnerable populations during the public health emergency
  • Expanding transportation capacity because of the public health emergency
• Building Services/Temporary Facilities
  • Rental and installation costs for trailers or other modular space to allow social distancing
  • Partitions or other temporary changes to school spaces
  • Supplies and services to sanitize district facilities, including personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Central costs
  • Planning, procedures and coordination systems to improve district preparedness and response efforts to COVID-19
  • Planning and implementing of summer learning and supplemental afterschool programs as a result of the public health emergency
  • Supplies and services that enable remote learning (printing, telephonic support, translation services, etc.) during the public health emergency
  • IT hardware and software to facilitate distance learning
• Other innovative efforts to support the safe reopening of schools

Eligibility:

All school districts and charter schools in the Commonwealth are eligible, except for the Boston Public Schools, municipal school districts in Plymouth County, and students from Plymouth County communities attending regional school districts. The City of Boston and Plymouth County are administering CvRF funds separately.

Funding Type:

State Trust
(Funded by Federal CARES local governments funding. CFDA 21.019)

Funding:

Eligible school districts and charter schools can receive $225 per student based on their FY2021 foundation enrollment. Note that in determining total grant awards, each school district's foundation enrollment is reduced by the number of students from the district that attend charter schools; these students are assigned to the charter schools where they are enrolled.

Applicants will need to provide a budget detailing the types of COVID-19 response costs that will be supported by the grant. All FY2021 funding must be obligated by June 30, 2021.

FY2021 CvRF School Reopening Grant Distribution/Allocations

Project Duration:

Upon Approval — 6/30/2021*
*The obligation period for these grant funds was extended on December 29, 2021.

Program Unit:

Center for Administration and Finance

Contact:

Rob O'Donnell   CvRFGrant@mass.gov

Phone Number:

781-338-6512

Date Due:

Monday, August 31, 2020

Proposals must be received by the Department by 5:00 p.m. on the date due.

Required Forms:

FY2021 CvRF School Reopening Grant Program Application Workbook

Please save the excel workbook as file name: CvRFleacode.xlsx. For example, Abington (0001) would name their excel workbook CvRF0001.xlsx.

Additional Information:

The Department expects that districts will draw down and expend all CvRF funds by June 30, 2021 because the purpose of these funds was to support school reopening costs this fiscal year. CvRF funds should be prioritized before spending ESSER funding.

Submission Instructions:

Submit all required grant materials through EdGrants.

In EdGrants, districts are required to create and name the project. Please use the following naming convention for your "Applicant Project Name" in EdGrants:

• FY21 102 Applicant Name

All items listed under the required forms section of this RFP should be uploaded / attached in the Attachments List formlet of the Application Submission in EdGrants. This includes a signed / scanned PDF of Part I / Coversheet with Superintendent's signature as well as Schedule A form, if applicable to your district. The final budget the applicant is requesting will be entered directly into EdGrants as part of the application submission process.

For additional submission instructions, see the "Read Me First" tab of the CvRF School Reopening Grant Program Application Workbook.

For Guidance Documents regarding EdGrants, visit EdGrants: User Guides, Information and Trainings.

Please note: It is up to the district to determine who it wants to add as EdGrants Front Office users in order to submit the grant application as well as payment request information. Please review the EdGrants: User Security Controls to make informed decisions regarding assigning your district level users.

Last Updated: July 17, 2020