ESSER III Spending & Safe In-Person Return Plan
Under the American Rescue Plan (ARP), which became law in March 2021, school districts around the country received funding to address the impact of COVID-19 on students' academic, social, emotional and mental health needs. This funding is known as "ESSER III." "ESSER" is short for Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief. ESSER III receives its numerical designation from the fact that the ARP ESSER Fund is the third set of COVID-related federal relief grants for schools that Congress has passed since the pandemic began. ESSER I and ESSER II were established respectively by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March 2020 and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act in December 2020.
How Much Money Will ESSER III Provide?
ESSER III will provide nearly $122 billion to state educational agencies and school districts to help safely reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools and address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the nation’s students. Monmouth-Roseville District 238 is expected to receive $3,864,738 in ESSER III funds.
How Will District 238 Use Its ESSER III Funds?
This spending plan focuses on four areas to ensure the safety of our students and staff, as well as address learning loss that may have occurred during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Our plan recognizes that no less than 20% of all ESSER III funds must be used to address learning loss. The costs listed below comprise more than 20% of the funds granted. In order to support individual student success, teachers and administrators will analyze data to determine the supports needed for each student.
As presented to the MR238 Board of Education on August 10, 2021, the District plans to use its ESSER III grant money in three major areas:
Academics and Improvement of Instruction
Supplemental Academic Support: staff and instructional materials to implement summer school and after-school tutoring during the 21-22, 22-23, and 23-24 school years
Curricular Materials: updated math curriculum; instructional materials to support the ongoing implementation of our core curriculum and academic intervention services
Professional Development: professional development and consultation services from Curriculum 21 and Learning Systems Associates to ensure all core academic and elective classes implement a relevant, guaranteed and viable curriculum with an online component for the 21-22, 22-23, and 23-24 school years
School Improvement Planning: ECRA data analytics and school improvement platform to measure student growth, track individual student progress, guide instruction, and group students for targeted intervention services during the 21-22, 22-23, and 23-24 school years
Health and Safety
Secretary support for nursing staff to help with implementation of Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) COVID-19 guidelines
Capital Improvements
Repair and upgrade of the HVAC system at Central Intermediate to improve air quality
2023-2024 Plan for Safe In-Person Learning
The health and safety of our students and staff is always our top priority. The COVID-19 Global Pandemic has taught us important lessons on how to follow the safety guidelines to keep our students and staff safe. These include, but are not limited to cleaning protocols, hand sanitizing, physical distancing, and virus suppression. We will continue to require additional safety measures for the 2023-2024 school year.
As we return to full-time, in-person instruction we will do the following to ensure a safe and healthy learning environment for students and staff:
1. Continually monitor and implement guidance from IDPH, ISBE, and the Warren County Health Department to adjust the learning environments as needed for our buildings to remain open for in-person learning for all students to the greatest extent possible.
2. Regularly, but no less frequently than every six months (taking into consideration the timing of significant changes to CDC guidance on reopening schools), review and, as appropriate, revise this plan for the safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services.
3. Continue to provide appropriate personal protective equipment
4. Continue to implement all safety measures including but not limited to cleaning, sanitizing, hand-washing, social distancing (to the extent possible), and all other recommended mitigation measures
Social/Emotional Supports & Communication
We recognize that living through a global pandemic has taken an emotional toll on our communities. It is clear that schools will play a vital role in helping students and staff deal with any trauma the pandemic may have caused. As we return to full-time in-person instruction, we are committed to providing the social-emotional support that our students need and to intentionally engage all families in the educational environment.
Public Input
This plan was developed in consultation with stakeholders, including students, staff, families, school and district administrators (including Knox-Warren Special Education District), and the Monmouth-Roseville Education Association. The plan was further reviewed by the Director of Multilingual Learners, District Homeless Liaison, and Special Education Coordinator to ensure it represents the interests of specific student populations. Furthermore, the district requested and received public input at the Board of Education meeting on August 10, 2021. Since that time, we have been working toward the goals of this plan as approved by the Board and responding to public input.
We are requesting your feedback on the district’s plan to support student learning with the funds received through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Your input is an important part of developing a plan that addresses the most pressing needs of our students. We want to hear from you! Please contact Amy Freitag at [email protected] or 309-734-2222 to provide your input. Thank you for sharing your perspective!