Federal COVID-19 Relief Funds Information

Federal funding has been divided over three grant sources since 2020. The CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act), CRRSA Act (Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Act), and ARP Act (American Rescue Plan) provide vital support to states, local education agencies (LEAs), and schools as we work to reopen schools safely, maximize in-person instructional time, and address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students, educators, and families. These funds were designed to be used to implement actionable strategies to meet the urgent needs of students and educators as LEAs and schools work to return to and safely sustain in-person instruction, address the educational inequities that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and address students’ social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs.

Generally, in determining whether an activity is an allowable use of funds, a state or LEA (local education agency) must determine

1. Is the use of funds intended to prevent, prepare for, or respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, including its impact on the social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs of students? 

2. Does the use of funds fall under one of the authorized uses of ESSER funds?

3. Is the use of funds permissible under the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance, 2 CFR Part 200)? In particular, is it necessary and reasonable for the performance of the ESSER award?

These Federal emergency resources are available for a wide range of activities to address diverse needs arising from or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, or to emerge stronger post-pandemic, including responding to students’ social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs and continuing to provide educational services as states, LEAs, and schools respond to and recover from the pandemic. 

For more information about the CARES and ESSER relief funds and how they can be budgeted and utilized, please see the ESSER Guidance document attached on the right.

CARES / ESSER I

Springfield Public School District 186 received $7,866,322* that had to be expended between March 13, 2020 and September 30, 2021. District 186 submitted an application and received funds in June 2020. The reporting of this grant included minimum quarterly expenditures and GATA Reporting to the Illinois State Board of Education. 

CARES funding had to address the needs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic for low-income children or students, children with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and foster care youth. Funds could also be used for outreach and service delivery of programming for students.  

* This amount includes the equitable share for private schools within District 186. With both ESSER II and ESSER III, private schools received their equitable share directly from the State.

CARES / ESSER I Budget Overview

ESSER II

Springfield Public Schools received $30,802,189 in ESSER II funding (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief). This federal funding added to the CARES funds and extended the spending through September 2023. ESSER II followed the same federal guidance for budgeting and approved use of funds as CARES.

District 186 began working through the ESSER grant cycle in July 2021 with district leaders, school leaders, teacher leaders, union leadership, community partners, families, and students. District 186 submitted the ESSER II grant to ISBE in July.

ESSER II Budget Overview

ESSER III

Springfield Public Schools received $69,143,897 in ESSER III funding with a federal mandate of reserving 20% or $13,828,779 to address the academic impact of lost instructional time. 

District 186 began working through the federal guidance of ESSER III during Fall 2021. Superintendent Gill provided an overview of the spending plan at the December 6, 2021, Board of Education Meeting. The ESSER III application was submitted December 21, 2021, and ISBE approved December 27, 2021. As part of this process, Springfield Public School District 186 seeks stakeholder input between January 26, and February 9, 2022, on how this grant will support students, staff, and school operations. All members of the District 186 community are welcome to submit their input by completing the survey. 

District 186 continues to make planning updates, budget reviews, and necessary revisions as we move through the pandemic and keep in-person learning safe for all and doing what is best for students and families.

Springfield Public Schools Funding Recommendations

1. Safely reopen classrooms.
2. Maximize diverse and equitable in-person high-quality instructional materials or time.
3. Provide opportunities to accelerate learning due to Covid.
4. Maximize and meet students’ social, emotional, and academic needs.
5. Deeply sustain our workforce capabilities.
6. Federally mandated reservation to specifically address the academic impact of unfinished learning opportunities and lost instructional time.

The following table highlights the approved ESSER III budgeting aspects of the District 186 plan.

ESSER III Budget Overview

Mandated Reservation – $13,828,779

Reporting and Performance Tracking

Springfield Public Schools will make planning and budget updates based on ESSER spending reports and input from stakeholders every 6 months (July 2022, January 2023, July 2023, January 2024, July 2024).

ISBE and community reporting will be accomplished through: Summary Status Reports, Monthly Expenditure Reporting, Bi-annual Board of Education Reports, Budget Amendments as needed, COVID Dashboard to monitor COVID cases, Learning Recovery Plan, and Air Quality Upgrades and Facilities Status Updates on spending / project updates.

Performance Updates will include budget tracking documents, Board of Education reporting, vaccination updates, learning recovery plans and results, planning documents, tracking of in-person vs remote learning days, and overall school data reporting. Our website will house information about our Return to Learn Plans.