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  • PISD approves use of ESSER-II and ESSER-III funds

PISD approves use of ESSER-II and ESSER-III funds

Wed, 06/23/2021 - 4:00am
Brandon Mallory

The Pittsburg ISD Board of Trustees approved the use of ESSER-II and ESSER-III funds in a board meeting on June 21, passing with a 6-0 vote. The funds will be used to upgrade the district’s air infrastructure including new HVAC units as well as upgrading technology for the campuses.

The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief III (ESSER III) Fund comes as part of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act, the $1.9 trillion stimulus package that President Biden signed on March 11, 2021. The plan included $122 billion to be given out federally to schools, with $12 billion going to Texas schools specifically.

Superintendent Terry Waldrep said that Pittsburg ISD is expecting to receive $6.9 million from the ESSER-III grant, and hopefully $3 million from the ESSER-II grant. The funds will be available from March 13, 2020 (thanks to pre-award) through to September 30, 2024.

PISD plans to supplant their state income with the ESSER-III funds, which would be spent anyway in continuing to pay salaries for counselors and a mental health specialist for the Elementary School. Any state income that is supplanted this way can be saved and used at later dates.

Waldrep said, “If you save $1.5 million this year from salaries and $1.5 million the next year, you just saved the school district $3 million that can be used somewhere else, to upgrade something else.”

Some upgrades are also planned for technological areas of the classroom. Waldrep said the hope was to have every classroom come with up-to-date Google Chromebooks and modern projectors. The ESSER-II grant will be used retroactively to make up the income the district may have lost due to attendance being down.

The federal government requires that 20% of the funds be used to make up for lost learning and personnel addressing mental health. The board said that the plan for lost learning included investments into further after-school programs and summer school programs. The board also said that the district will have to get a notice of grant approval from the government before they can properly spend any of the funds.