ESSER Funding: 3 Cost-Effective Alternatives to Beat the Deadline

There’s no question the pandemic sent all of us reeling—school leaders, teachers, parents, and students. As students returned to classrooms and parents returned to the workforce in person, permanent damage had been done across the board. 

As a country, we now face a residual ongoing mental health crisis as we deal with the loss of family members, a shift in workplace expectations, gaps in student learning, and setbacks in students’ social and emotional development. And at the bottom of the pile, school leaders stand shoulder to shoulder bending under the weight of the responsibility.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) was a light in a very dark room for school leaders who needed funding to deal with the ramifications of the pandemic. But now we face a secondary crisis: how to use the remaining funds to make the biggest impact on our schools before the lapse of the deadline. 

The media has attacked school districts in recent weeks for not using all of their ESSER funds in the first and second cycles. Now, districts are up against the deadline for the third cycle of funding.

The questions are these: How can school districts avoid media criticism during this challenging time? And how can school districts finish spending their funds most effectively and on time.

And that means, school leaders have big decisions to make in the next few months. 

Even with a shortened timeline, there are still opportunities for students and staff to get additional support to help them rectify these major challenges caused by the pandemic: health and safety in the school setting, gaps in student learning, and mental health support for teachers and staff.

Keep reading to find out my solutions for spending your ESSER funds before the deadline. 

Health and Safety in the School Setting

In light of the pandemic, it became clear that schools needed a better plan to improve and, if possible, guarantee health and safety in the school setting. Higher attendance means better student outcomes and higher rates of parent satisfaction. So, many districts opted to spend their funds on better ventilation systems to curb the transmission of respiratory viruses. But, surprisingly, in April of 2023, the CDC found that “[m]any public school districts have not taken steps to improve school building ventilation” even though federal funds like ESSER are still available for those purposes.

Why haven’t more districts opted for ventilation upgrades? The truth is that even if there were time to initiate a large-scale facilities revitalization project before the deadline, which there is not, school leaders have found more effective and convenient alternatives that can provide the entire district with safer work and learning environments. 

If the facilities in your district need health and safety upgrades that can be purchased and installed before the deadline while performing at or above ventilation upgrades in terms of disinfection, I would highly recommend purchasing UV disinfection ecosystems for all of your schools. 

Gaps in Student Learning

While remote learning was the most feasible path forward during the pandemic, unfortunately, the lack of in-person teaching created gaps in student learning that aren’t likely to close without targeted intervention. Early on in the first and second ESSER funding cycle, many school districts chose to use their funds to purchase technology to increase teachers’ ability to do their jobs more efficiently and manage student success even if education faces more shutdowns in the future.

While those purchases are likely to increase teachers’ flexibility they don’t address the problem of the gaps in student learning. Additionally, technology upgrades may be difficult to come by, even with ESSER funding in place. K12dive.com explains that many schools have “faced challenges purchasing ed tech with ESSER funds due to ‘limited availability of technology devices, excessive shipping delays, supply chain disruptions, and delays related to federal policies.’”

Alternatively, I recommend that school districts opt for purchasing a supplemental curriculum that will help to fill the gaps in student learning and drive student outcomes, thereby creating opportunities for students to thrive. On-demand curriculums that teach STEM allow students to explore, innovate, be curious, and learn skills that will benefit them in their pursuit of higher education, the workforce, and beyond.

As an added benefit, one-time curriculum purchases are cost-effective and can be completed for all of your schools before the deadline. 

Mental Health Support for Teachers and Staff

Physical improvements are just one aspect of helping our schools and communities recover from the strain of the last few years. But, more importantly, the mental and emotional health of our teachers and staff will determine how well they can serve students in the long term. Principal attrition rates are rising and teacher turnover is a huge problem in some schools. I believe teaching leaders and staff how to practice self-care is the key to boosting longevity and developing stronger leadership. 

Not all teachers understand the importance of self-care and how to make it a part of their daily routine. The simple truth is that we need our district employees to take care of themselves so they can continue to take care of kids. During the pandemic, I saw so many of our teachers, principals, frontline employees, and even our paraprofessionals struggling with their mental and emotional health, so I restructured my leadership trainings and customer service curriculum to be more rooted in self-care. 

But can funds be used for professional development and mental health support? The answer is yes! According to K-12 Dive, ESSER funding can be used “for a variety of expenses such as professional development for teachers and staff, technology needs, expanded learning opportunities, mental health support, tutoring services, and more.”

One of the biggest ways to impact your current leadership, teachers, and support staff is to provide them with professional development training opportunities that teach them how to use mindfulness and practice self-care so they can approach teaching and leading from a place of rest and fulfillment, especially when dealing with difficult students, upset parents, and unforeseen hardships. 

Conclusion

The writing is on the wall and the media is ready to cast judgment. Your school has a short time to finish spending your ESSER funds. Even so, there’s always time to make an informed decision that will benefit your students, teachers, prospective teachers, and community for the long term. I’ve helped schools across the nation make tough decisions about how to designate their ESSER funds to make the most impact, and I’ve seen the amazing results this funding can have in communities when it’s spent strategically.

If you need help navigating ESSER, book a free twenty-minute call with me! I can assess your school’s needs and recommend a strategic way to use the funding to address the most pressing needs in your school before the deadline passes.