Henrico Schools faces Aug. 1 deadline to make plans for $78M in federal ESSER funds

The clock is ticking for the Henrico school district to draft a proposal on how to spend $78.3 million from the third round of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER, funds.

By Aug. 1, the district must post a proposed plan on its website that details how it intends to use the third round of federal emergency relief funds, which are intended to address the impact of COVID-19 on elementary and secondary schools.

The ESSER award is a federal grant under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, which was signed into law in March. Congress set aside about $13.2 billion of the $30.75 billion allotted to the Education Stabilization Fund through the Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Security Act for the ESSER Fund.

Henrico school system officials already have allocated the first two rounds of funding. School board members discussed the third round of funding at Thursday’s work session.

“I’m interested in supports for the secondary level, particularly in resources for reading and math coaching and social services and mental health supports,” said Brookland District board member Kristi Kinsella, who also expressed concerns that community members might not provide ample feedback because the school year has ended and people are disconnecting.

“We’re going to do everything we can to make sure that we maximize opportunities [for feedback] given the short runway into the [Virginia Department of Education’s] deadline for application,” said Superintendent Amy Cashwell.

The district’s financial office, in collaboration with other teams, has about a month to draft the proposal.

During the month of July, the district will receive stakeholders' input, said Chief Financial Officer John Wack –  and by Aug. 1, the proposed plan for the ESSER III fund must be posted on HCPS’ website.

The school board will review the plan at its Aug. 12 work session and hold a public hearing Aug. 26. The finalized plan is due to the Virginia Department of Education  Sept. 1.

No less than 20% of the grant must be reserved to address learning loss through the interventions such as summer learning, extended days, afterschool programs or extended school year programs.

The first round of ESSER funds given to HCPS, totaling $9.3 million, was allocated to technology for distance learning, counselors and clinic attendants.

School system officials allocated the second round of funding, which supplied the district with $34.8 million, to support operational expenses, including:

• 52 additional buses costing $5.98 million;

• 10 minivans costing $280,000;

• WiFi hotspots for students and added bandwidth costing $1.04 million;

• air filters and air purifiers costing $400,000.

An additional $9.15 million of the ESSER II funds will be provided for instructional resources and programming, Wack said at a June 8 Henrico County Board of Supervisors meeting.

The county's Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved an amendment to the county's annual budget officially appropriating the second round of ESSER funding.

* * *

Anna Bryson is the Henrico Citizen's education reporter and a Report for America corps member. Make a tax-deductible donation to support her work, and RFA will match it dollar for dollar.