In the last few weeks, the Iowa Department of Education announced that the state received nearly $345 million for Pre-K through 12 schools for federal relief. The money is meant to address costs brought on by the COVID pandemic.
According to the U.S. Department of Education’s website, The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSA), was signed into law on December 27, 2020 and provides an additional $54.3 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund. The amount Iowa received in this allotment is more than four times the amount the state received last spring.
Clarion-Goldfield-Dows will be receiving $775,310 in ESSER funds. CGD Superintendent Joe Nelson explained, the amount of each allocation was based on each school district’s eligibility for Title I, Part A funding, similar to how the free and reduced lunch program is determined. Title I, Part A is a federal program that provides districts with funding based on the percentage of low-income students served by the district. Nelson added that he and many other superintendents were quite surprised that the allotments were so hefty. “In a challenging year, this funding really is a blessing,” he emphasized.
How districts can use the ESSER funds is quite broadly defined. Iowa Department of Education Director Ann Lebo stated, “Schools can use this funding to measure and address unfinished learning and contend with other coronavirus-related challenges. That includes the need for increased professional development, educational technology, cleaning supplies, and other sanitation measures, facility repairs, upgrades to improve air quality in school buildings, summer learning, supplemental after-school programs, and mental health services.”
Nelson said some of those areas are precisely what the CGD district is planning to use funds on. He explained that professional development is definitely on the list. Expanded summer school and small group tutoring will also be possible with the ESSER money. “We will be able to pay teachers in the summer and make this happen,” Nelson added. “These programs will help close the achievement gap.”
He went on to describe some of the other areas the funds will be used. New lunchroom tables are on this list, as is new furniture for school libraries. These additions will allow for more spacing.
Upgrades and additions are also planned for the district’s vehicle fleet and on busses. See the story elsewhere on our website for more on those areas.
ESSER funds received by other districts in the area:
Belmond-Klemme $540,815.00
Eagle Grove $756,968.00
Hampton-Dumont $1,134,649.00
CAL $207,794.00
Humboldt $659,890.00
Webster City $1,253,306.00
