When it comes to federal funding received under the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund, a common question from stakeholders and community members continues to be– “why are districts not spending their ESSER funds?” The answer is that districts are spending their ESSER funds; however, the reimbursement process districts must follow to receive these funds can make that difficult to understand.
To help stakeholders and community members better understand how districts have spent and plan to spend their ESSER allocations, we have highlighted three Ohio districts and their ESSER stories in the upcoming edition of our SBO Quarterly Magazine, featuring Dayton Public Schools, Wapakoneta City Schools, and New Albany-Plain Local Schools. The article begins with a summary of the reimbursement process districts must follow for ESSER funding to provide context for the districts’ stories and background as to why these federal dollars may appear “unspent.”
As a treasurer/CFO, the federal grant reimbursement process is familiar and implicit in our conversation about our district’s ESSER plans and the “spend down” of these funds. However, we need to make it explicit in our conversations with our communities and stakeholders to correct any misunderstandings and to demonstrate the foresight and stewardship in planning for these funds in a manner that best meets the needs of our communities and the children and families we serve.
Keep an eye out for the upcoming issue of the SBO Quarterly magazine!