FY2021 and FY2022: Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act: Elementary and Secondary Education Emergency Relief (ESSER II) Funds

Fund Code: 115

Purpose:

Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA) provide resources to school districts to address the impact the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) has had and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools. This supplemental funding opportunity, the Elementary and Secondary Education Emergency Relief II (ESSER II) Fund, is intended to help school districts safely reopen schools, and measure and effectively address significant learning loss.

Priorities:

The priorities of the ESSER II funds are to support activities authorized by:

1. ESSA, IDEA, Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 or subtitle B of title VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
2. Coordination of preparedness and response efforts of LEAs with State and local public health departments, and other relevant agencies, to improve coordinated responses among such entities to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.
3. Providing principals and others school leaders with the resources necessary to address the needs of their individual schools.
4. Activities to address the unique needs, including how outreach and service delivery will meet the needs of each population:
   • low-income children or students,
   • children with disabilities,
   • English learners,
   • racial and ethnic minorities,
   • students experiencing homelessness, and
   • foster care youth
5. Developing and implementing procedures and systems to improve the preparedness and response efforts of LEAs.
6. School facility repairs and improvements, such as efforts to improve indoor air quality to reduce risk of airborne virus transmission.
7. Training and professional development for staff of the LEA on sanitation and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases.
8. Purchasing supplies to sanitize and clean the facilities of a LEA, including buildings.
9. Planning for and coordinating during long-term closures, including:
   • how to provide meals to eligible students,
   • how to provide technology for online learning to all students,
   • how to provide guidance for carrying out requirements under the IDEA and
   • how to ensure other educational services can continue to be provided consistent with all Federal, State, and local requirements.
10. Purchasing educational technology (including hardware, software, and connectivity) for students who are served by the LEA that aids in regular and substantive educational interaction between students and their teachers, including low-income students and students with disabilities, which may include assistive technology or adaptive equipment.
11. Providing student mental health services and supports and maximize capacity for coordination to connect students to behavioral and mental health supports and services, including with school-based and community based-services and providers. A minimum of $10,000 must be used on student mental health services and supports.
12. Addressing learning loss, such as administering assessments to assess progress, implementing evidence-based activities, tracking attendance, and improving student engagement.
13. Planning and implementing activities related to summer learning and supplemental afterschool programs such as:
    • providing classroom instruction or online learning during the summer months and
    • addressing the needs of low-income students, students with disabilities, English learners, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care.
14. Other activities that are necessary to maintain the operation of and continuity of services in LEA and continuing to employ existing staff of the LEA.

Eligibility:

Awards are based on each district's share of funds received under Title I, Part A of ESEA in fiscal year 2021.

Funding Type:

Federal CFDA 84.425

Funding:

FY21 ESSER II Fund allocations will be posted on the Grants Management website as soon as they are available.

Funding is contingent upon availability. All dollar amounts listed are estimated/approximate and are subject to change. If more funding becomes available for this Fund Code, it will be distributed under the same guidelines that appear in this RFP document.

Fund Use:

Districts are permitted to use ESSER II funds to address the impact COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools. Please see the list of priorities above. In addition, in an effort to build capacity of public school districts and communities to facilitate integrated coordination of school and community-based resources, including but not limited to, social services, mental health and behavioral health resources, districts that receive ESSER II funds must commit a minimum of $10,000 to student mental health services and supports.

Project Duration:

FY21: Upon approval – 6/30/2021 (Year 1) * or
FY22: 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2022**

*The period of availability for FY21 grant awards will be extended into FY22 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2022 (Year 2) and FY23 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2023 (Year 3) and FY24 7/1/2023 – 9/30/2023 (Year 4).

**Extended periods of availability for FY22 ESSER II grant awards are allowed as follows: FY23 7/1/2022 – 6/30/2023 (Year 2) and FY24 7/1/2023 – 9/30/2023 (Year 3).

Program Unit:

Resource Allocation Strategy and Planning

Contact:

Federal Grants at federalgrantprograms@mass.gov

Phone Number:

(781) 338-6230

Date Due:

Applicants should choose one based on district needs:

Option 1: Due date for FY21 fund use Wednesday, March 31, 2021: Applicants that intend to obligate any funds in FY21 (FY21 period of availability is upon approval – 6/30/2021) should submit by this deadline.

Option 2: Due date for FY22 fund use Friday, July 30, 2021: Applicants that do not intend to obligate any funds in FY21, but plan to begin using these funds in FY22 should submit by this deadline (FY22 period of availability is 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2022).

Note: A start date cannot be given until we have a substantially approvable information and budget for the grant.

Applicants that do not expect to obligate funds prior to June 30, 2021, should apply under the Option 2 deadline for FY22 funds.

Required Forms:

ESSER II Funds Application Workbook

• Please save the excel workbook as file name: ESSERII-leacode.xlsm. For example, Abington would name the file as ESSERII-0001.xlsm
  • Option 1 FY21 applicants only: Part I Signature Page with FY21 selected as the fiscal year and original signature of the Superintendent/Executive Director. Note: Please sign and date your cover page and ensure the allocation matches the amount budgeted.
  • Option 2 FY22 applicants only (will be available April 19^th in EdGrants for submission): Part I Signature Page with FY22 selected as the fiscal year and original signature of the Superintendent/Executive Director. Note: Please sign and date your cover page and ensure the allocation matches the amount budgeted

• Schedule A (if applicable)

Additional Information:

ESSER II Quick Reference Guide

Budget detail and description of line item information

Submission Instructions:

Applicants may only legally claim expenses to the grant starting from the date of final DESE approval. The start date for the grant is the date on which the district submits substantially approvable budget and information for the grant.

Please carefully review and follow the instructions below to submit all required grant materials through EdGrants. Register to create projects under the proper funding opportunity based on desired ESSER II desired start date of fund use.

Applicants submitting for Option 1 FY21 funds due March 31, 2021:

1. Register to the funding opportunity named: DESE — FY21 Fund Code 115 — Elementary and Secondary Education Emergency Relief (ESSER II) (Fed) (ENT)

2. Create and name the project: FY21 FC 115 Applicant Name ESSER Applicant Number

For example, Abington (0001) would name the file as FY21 FC 115 Abington ESSER II 0001

Applicants submitting for Option 2 FY22 funds due July 30, 2021 (this funding Opportunity will be available in EdGrants on April 19^th for grant submission):

1. Register to the funding opportunity named: DESE — FY22 Fund Code 115 — Elementary and Secondary Education Emergency Relief (ESSER II) (Fed) (ENT)

2. Create and name the project: FY22 FC 115 Applicant Name ESSER II Applicant Number

For example, Abington (0001) would name the file as FY22 FC 115 Abington ESSER II 0001

Note: A start date cannot be given until we have a substantially approvable information and budget for the grant.

In EdGrants, district staff enter the grant budget, and upload all required documents listed in the Required Forms section of this RFP and outlined on the Attachments List section of the EdGrants Application Submission.

For additional submission instructions, see the "Read Me First" tab of the ESSER II Application workbook.

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

Please note: It is up to the district to determine who it wants to add as EdGrants Front Office users 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: February 5, 2021