U.S. Department of Education approves Pa’s ARP ESSER plan, distributes funds
The U.S. Department of Education approved Pennsylvania’s spending plan for its share of the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief.
Pennsylvania was earmarked to receive a total of $5 billion in ARP ESSER funds. Last week’s approval of the commonwealth’s plan will result in the release of the final $1.6 billion.
Pennsylvania’s plan focuses on using the funds to safely reopen schools and to address learning loss that resulted from school closings and interruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier this year, the DOE distributed two-thirds of the funds, totaling $81 billion, to 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The remaining third of the funding to states will be made available once state plans are approved.
In addition to approving Pennsylvania’s plan last week, the DOE approved plans for Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, and New York. With those approvals, total of 22 ARP ESSER state plans have been given the go-ahead since June.
“I am excited to announce approval of Pennsylvania’s plan,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “It is heartening to see, reflected in these state plans, the ways in which states are thinking deeply about how to use American Rescue Plan funds to continue to provide critical support to schools and communities, particularly as we move into the summer and look ahead to the upcoming academic year.”
The Pennsylvania state budget allocated the ARP ESSER funds for evidence-based interventions to address the academic and other impacts of lost instructional time as subgrants. PDE will provide a list of vetted evidence-based interventions through its Evidence Resource Center, according to the Department of Education’s announcement.
PDE is emphasizing the use of ARP ESSER funds for social, emotional, and mental health supports; professional development and technical assistance to educators, school support staff, school leaders, and school health professionals; and reading support and improvement for students.
“COVID-19 has impacted all of us, and I commend Pennsylvania’s schools for prioritizing the health, safety, and well-being of their communities,” said Gov. Tom Wolf. “The completion of the state plan for ARP ESSER funding is critical to help schools meet the unique needs of educating students at this time while keeping school buildings safe when students return to the classroom in the fall.”