ESSER STIMULUS FUNDING AWARDED TO THE DISTRICT--FORMULA ESSER FUNDS

CARES Act-ESSER I Funding, Awarded 2019-2020 School Year

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27, 2020, provides funding and flexibility for states to respond to the COVID-19 emergency in K-12 schools. The CARES Act includes funds for Elementary and Secondary Schools Secondary Relief (ESSER I). The purpose of the ESSER I funds is to concentrate on areas of the most need, where the academic and non-academic components for school districts had the most significant impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and local funds are limited to address these needs.

Funds to local districts can be used for coronavirus-response activities, such as planning for and coordinating during long-term school closures, purchasing educational technology to support online learning for all students, and additional activities authorized by federal elementary and secondary education laws.

Like other Federal grants held by a district, the district’s management and expenditure of the ESSER funds will be subject to fiscal and programmatic compliance monitoring by the GaDOE. In addition, ESSER funds are subject to audit requirements under the Single Audit Act and reviewed by the Government Accountability Office. The United States Department of Education’s Office of the Inspector General may audit program implementation, as may any other federal agency, commission, or department in the lawful exercise of its jurisdiction and authority.

The CARES Act-ESSER I provided $160,420 in funding to Quitman County School District

CRRSA Act-ESSER II Funding, Awarded 2020-2021 School Year

The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriation (CRRSA) Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump on December 27, 2020, provides an additional $54.3 billion for an ESSER II fund. The additional funding intends to support state and local school districts’ efforts to safely reopen schools, address significant gaps in learning, and support measures of implementation that will continue to reduce the effects of COVID-19 on students and families.

The use of funds under ESSER to local districts continues under ESSER II SEC. 133 (d) for coronavirus-response activities. Planning for and coordinating activities that address learning loss, preparing schools for reopening, testing, repairing, and upgrading projects to improve air quality in school buildings, and additional activities authorized by federal elementary and secondary education laws are continually permitted.

Although ESSER II funds are similar to ESSER, there is significant contrast between the two programs, including the period of funds availability, equitable services to non-public schools, maintenance of effort, and a report on efforts to measure and address learning loss. Additionally, ESSER funds must be tracked separately from ESSER II funds. It is highly recommended to ensure all remaining ESSER funds are used before using ESSER II due to the shorter remaining availability period.

In the same manner, as other Federal grants held by a district, the district’s management and expenditure of the ESSER II funds will be subject to fiscal and programmatic compliance monitoring by the GaDOE. In addition, ESSER II funds are subject to audit requirements under the Single Audit Act and reviewed by the Government Accountability Office. The United States Department of Education’s Office of the Inspector General may audit program implementation, as may any other federal agency, commission, or department in the lawful exercise of its jurisdiction and authority.

The CRRSA Act-ESSER II provided $658,115 in funding to Quitman County School District

ARP (American Rescue Plan) Act-ESSER III, Awarded 2020-2021 School Year

As a part of the ARP ESSER III, school systems are required to create a plan for spending the federal funds aligned to the allowable use of funds from the state and federal levels. Quitman County Schools has received a total allocation of over $1.4 million.  Quitman County School District plans to use the ARP ESSER III funds in the following ways.  All expenditures within the budget are subject to approval at the local and state levels.
If you would like to provide feedback, you may scan the QR Code below, send an email to fairs@quitman.k12.ga.us, our select the hyperlink https://forms.office.com/r/SD4u2pjQGi

American Rescue Plan--ESSER III

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) ACT was signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, 2021, to speed up the United States recovery from the economic and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing recession. ARPA makes available $122.8 billion nationally in the third round of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP-ESSER) funds.

It is with the same sense of urgency that State educational agencies (SEAs) and school districts should plan to expend these funds to safely reopen schools as expeditiously as possible this spring, sustain their healthy operations, and address the significant academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of their students. 

ARP ESSER funds will allow SEA to take additional steps to safely reopen schools for in-person instruction and keep them open, to address the disruptions to teaching and learning resulting from the pandemic.  This includes using funds to enact appropriate measures to help schools to invest in mitigation strategies consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDS) Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools to the greatest extent practicable; address the many impacts of COVID-19 on students, including from interrupted instruction: implement strategies to meet student' social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs; offer crucial summer, after school, and other extended learning and enrichment programs; support early childhood education; invest in staff capacity, and avoid devastating layoffs at this critical moment, ensuring that all students have access to teachers, counselors, and other school personnel to support their needs.

The purpose of this grant is to provide school districts with emergency relief funds to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on public elementary and secondary schools across Georgia and the nation.

Districts are required to seek community input on how these funds will be spent to support students. Quitman County School District is prioritizing the use of ARP funds to support the District's strategic priorities in the following areas compliant with ARPA-ESSER III allowable activities.  For a complete description of allowable activities, please see Ga Department of Education ESSER Use of Funds document-  https://www.georgiainsights.com/uploads/1/2/2/2/122221993/updated_esser_use_of_funds.pdf 

▪       Continuity of services, including but not limited to services to address students’ academic needs, students’ and staff social, emotional, mental health, and other needs, which may include health and food services

▪       Provide state & regional-level Academic Recovery Specialists to help school leaders and educators address gaps in learning

▪       Increase summer & after school learning opportunities in partnership with GA statewide after school network

▪       Establishing school-based health clinics for students in rural areas & partnering to expand hearing, vision, and other screenings

▪       Providing mental health awareness training for educators to identify suicidal thoughts, abuse, and trauma experienced by students

▪       Developing instructional supports (resources/videos and professional learning) in social studies, science, ELA, and math

▪       Providing supports and therapeutic services for students with disabilities

▪       Covering the cost of teaching endorsements in critical areas and tuition for teachers entering the profession through GaTAPP

▪       Providing opportunity grants for school districts to support STEM/STEAM, AP, gifted, world language, health & PE, and fine arts learning opportunities

▪       Career and technical education programming

▪       To acquire real property or modular classrooms if needed to respond to COVID-19, consistent with CDC guidelines

▪       Address recruitment or retention challenges considering the pandemic

▪       Provide additional compensation to teachers and other staff that work in person

▪       Provide additional compensation to teachers and other staff that have assumed new duties because of COVID

▪       Incentivize effective teachers to move to schools with vulnerable students that the pandemic has disproportionately impacted

▪       Teachers to work specifically with students needing extra assistance

▪       Improving teacher ability to use technology in their instruction & providing other professional learning opportunities

▪       Purchasing of technology computers and devices

▪       Purchasing instructional software

▪       Providing mobile hotspots (internet connectivity) for low-income students

▪       Providing professional development related to the system strategic plan

▪       Providing faculty, staff, and students with social-emotional learning support

▪       Hiring additional staff to support at-risk students

▪       Providing additional supports for all students

▪       Ensuring that buildings and other items used by faculty, staff, and students are clean and sanitized

▪       Completing facility upgrades that will contribute to and improve air quality

▪       Providing principals and other school leaders with the resources necessary to address the needs of their individual school

▪       Activities to address the unique needs of low-income children or students, children with disabilities, English learners, racial & ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and foster care youth

▪       Developing and implementing procedures and systems to improve the preparedness and response efforts of local educational agencies

▪       Training and professional development for staff of the LEA on sanitation and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases

▪       Purchasing supplies to sanitize and clean the facilities of a LEA, including building operated by the agency

▪       Planning for, coordinating, and implementing activities during long-term closures, including providing meals to eligible students, providing technology for online learning to all students, providing guidance for carryout out requirements under IDEA and ensuring that other services can continue

▪       Purchasing educational technology (including hardware, software, and connectivity) for students who are served by the LEA that aids in regular and substantive educational interaction between students and their classroom instructors, including low-income students and children with disabilities

▪       Other activities that are necessary to maintain the operation of and continuity of services in LEAs and continuing to employ existing staff of the LEA

To view the plan submitted to the state for Quitman County School District, see the document below "ARP Plan".

QCSD Reopening Return to In-Person School Plan 

As a requirement of the American Rescue Plan: Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP/ESSER III) fund, Districts receiving funds must develop a plan for the safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services.  The ARPA requires districts to develop and make publicly available its Return to School Plan.  The District seeks community comments and input on its Return to In-Person Plan & takes into account this input in the development of the plan.  All comments and input will be taken into consideration and reviewed by QCSD.  The plan is reviewed/revised every 6 months and open for public comments.  Funds will be spent to support a safe return to school for students and staff.  Review the District's Return to In-Person Plan located below in the "Documents" section.  You can provide input on the Return to In-Person Plan by scanning the QR Code, sending an email to fairs@quitman.k12.ga.us or selecting the  following hyperlink: https://forms.office.com/r/SD4u2pjQGi

Title I-Part-A - Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged

The purpose of Title I Part-A (the largest program) is to ensure that all children have the opportunity to obtain a high quality education and reach proficiency on challenging state academic standards and assessments.

Title I is a part of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). This act provides federal funds through the Georgia Department of Education to local educational agencies (LEAs) and public schools with high numbers or percentages of poor children to help ensure that all children meet challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards.

LEAs target the Title I funds they receive to public schools with the highest percentages of children from low-income families. These funds may be used for children from preschool aged to high school. Title I is designed to support State and local school reform efforts tied to challenging State academic standards in order to reinforce and enhance efforts to improve teaching and learning for students. Title I programs must be based on effective means of improving student achievement and include strategies to support parental involvement.

Under Title I, local educational agencies (LEAs) are required to provide services for eligible private school students, as well as eligible public school students. These services must be developed in consultation with officials of the private schools. The Title I services provided by the LEA for private school participants are designed to meet their educational needs and supplement the educational services provided by the private school.

Title I-Part-A - School Improvement

Purpose of School Improvement Grants: The Title I, Part A, Section 1003(a) school improvement grants provide financial resources to local educational agencies (LEA) on behalf of Title I schools identified as Alert, Focus, or Priority.  Grants are awarded to support implementation of school improvement plans required by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and Georgia's ESEA Flexibility Waiver approved by the United States Department of Education.

Title I, Part A Public School Choice

In November, 2011, the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) submitted to the U. S. Department of Education (US ED) an application requesting flexibility through waivers of ten Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) requirements and their associated, regulatory, administrative and reporting requirements. One of the ten requested waivers directly affected Public School Choice (Choice). Beginning in the 2012-2013 school year those Title I schools that were required to offer Public School Choice (Choice) due to a NCLB school improvement status, the waiver allows those Title I schools to no  longer be required to offer Choice under ESEA but rather follow Georgia’s Intradistrict Transfer option.  Georgia’s Intradistrict Transfer (O.C.G.A. §20-2-2130, O.C.G.A. §20-2-2131) option allows parents of students enrolled in a public elementary or secondary school in Georgia to elect to enroll their student in a public school that is located within the school district in which the student resides other than the one to which the student has been assigned by the local board of education if such school has classroom space available after its assigned students have been enrolled.  The parent shall assume the responsibility and cost of transportation of the student to and from the school.  Each local school district establishes its own process (available to all students) to implement the transfer requirements of Georgia’s Intradistrict Transfer option.

Title II - Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High Quality Teachers and Principals

The purpose of Title II is to provide financial assistance for preparing, training, recruiting and retaining high quality teachers and principals. Funds provide professional activities, which enhance teacher skills and directly impact student learning.

Title IV Part-A - Student Supports and Academic Achievement

The purpose of Title IV-A is to provide financial assistance to support safe and drug free environment to ensure that all children have the opportunity to obtain a high quality education.

Title V-B Rural Education Initiative Grant

The purpose of Title V-B is to provide financial assistance to rural and low income students to meet challenging academic content and student performance standards.

You can check out more about the Federal Programs and Title 1 at the Georgia Department of Education web site:  http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/tss_title.aspx

Title X, Part A – McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth

The McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth program is designed to address the problems that homeless children and youth have faced in enrolling, attending, and succeeding in school. Under this program, State educational agencies must ensure that each homeless child and youth has equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including a public preschool education, as other children and youth.

Homeless children and youth must have access to the educational and other services that they need to enable them to meet the same challenging State student academic achievement standards to which all students are held. In addition, homeless students may not be separated from the mainstream school environment.

States and districts are required to review and undertake steps to revise laws, regulations, practices, or policies that may act as a barrier to the enrollment, attendance, or success in school of homeless children and youth.

For more information on the rights of and services available to children and youth experiencing homelessness, please contact: School Building Homeless Liaison, Demetria Norris or District Homeless Liaison, Shirley Johnson @ 229-334-4298 Option 2.

If you need further assistance, call the National Center for Homeless Education at the toll-free Help Line Number: 1-800-308-2145 or e-mail homeless@serve.org.  

Revised January 2024