Page 42 - The Edge Back to School 2022
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How to Apply for and Spend Covid Relief Funds
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 40
An AASBO member in the audience said his School districts must follow Uniform Guidance
governing board directed that 100% of the money and EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering,
be used to address the issue of learning loss Analysis, and Retrieval) to spend ESSER funds,
during the height of the pandemic when schools according to Akers. Basically, the feds created
were closed. Requests for funds from various Uniform Standardized Rules and Standards.
departments were rejected. “Under layman terms, part of the guidelines
relate to the procurement process – how that
Burns explained that at the federal level there contract was procured, whether a school district
are no requirements for how funds from ESSER was conducting its own procurement or was it
1 and ESSER 2 are spent, but there may be procurement by a state agency or co-op?”
some at the state level. “However, ARP ESSER
requires that local education agencies(LEAs) Group Master Agreements for the expenditure
must reserve at least 20% of awarded funds to of federal funds is explicitly encouraged for
address learning loss through the implementation non-federal entities receiving federal awards,
of evidence-based interventions and ensure that emphasizing the viability of cooperative and state
those interventions respond to students’ social, term contracts.
emotional, and academic needs and address the
disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on under- Burns advised vendors that their customers’
represented student subgroup,” Burns said. ESSER fund expenditures are subject to a single
“ESSER 3 is a big bucket of money.” audit and extensive documentation requirements.
“Do not assume your existing customer agreements
No district wants to leave any of its ESSER money or your cooperative and state term contracts were
unspent, but at the same time it doesn’t want to procured in accordance with Uniform Guidance
spend it hastily, Burns said. The deadline to have and EDGAR requirements” she said. “They may
ESSER 1 funds obligated is September 30, 2022. not be eligible for agencies to spend Covid relief
The deadline for ESSER 2 in September 30, dollars. Confirm that your company completed
2023, and for ESSER 3 it’s September 30, 2024. the Federal Funds Certification Form.”
“Obligated” means the district has committed
the funds for a specific use, whether the funds Akers advised AASBO members: “Ask someone
will be expended immediately or in the future. in your organization when the governing board
Examples include signed contracts, purchase wants to know how to spend ESSER funds.
orders, requisitions, and credit lines established Someone in the district will know. Vendors don’t
with vendors. know. Co-ops don’t know. First step is to call
someone in your district. That’s a good starting
A recent report from the U.S. Department of point.”
Education indicated that nearly all of ESSER 1
funds have been spent. David Akers can be reached at: DAkers@EqualisGroup.org
Nancy Burns can be reached at: NBurns@WqualisGroup.org
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42 THE EDGE BACK TO SCHOOL 2022
