School is out for the summer, but funding is a year-round topic. School district officials shared the various ways recent federal funding was put to use.

The American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) Fund provided a total of $122 billion in relief for K-12 schools. Funds were made available to school districts starting in March of 2021. Prior ESSER funding was issued to schools from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March 2020 and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA), in December of 2020.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the funds are intended to assist districts “so that they may act to fund health and safety measures consistent with CDC guidance, address the disruptions to teaching and learning resulting from the pandemic—especially for students hardest hit by the pandemic—and get students back in the classroom quickly and safely.”

Various intended uses for the funds were listed, and those include improvement of ventilation in the district’s buildings, hiring additional educators to help address learning loss, funding summer programs and other additional programs and the purchase of hotspots and devices for students to more easily facilitate remote learning.

Bradford Area School District received $9,858,499; Otto-Eldred School District received $1,388,457 and Port Allegany School District was allocated $3,261,626 in ESSERS III, as the funding in March was classified.

For local districts, the funds were an opportunity to address some upgrades and implement programs to address learning loss for students who struggled during periods of remote learning caused by the coronavirus pandemic, among other budget items. Personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies also were on the list of uses.

Otto-Eldred Area School District

“There have been numerous ‘pots of money’ provided to schools since March 2020. I won’t specify the purchases with source, but overall, they have similar or same purposes — to provide us funds to keep educating students,” said Matthew Splain, Otto-Eldred School District Superintendent. “The ARP is the latest round, which is also the largest funding pot available.”

In terms of technology, O-E was able to purchase online courses and technology, such as cameras and microphones, to support online learning efforts. The funds also allowed the district to initiate and maintain a one-to-one computer program.

“Providing technology, device insurance as well as additional online course options was a huge benefit,” Splain said. “Additionally, we purchased a number of “hot spots” to support connectivity for students at home.”

O-E also put the funding to good use, facilitating a more “normal” graduation for the Class of 2021. COVID-19 was still a concern as schools wrapped up this year, and graduation was a sticking point for many schools.

“Once the occupancy limits in PA were lifted, we were able to install filtering technology in our HVAC system in our auditorium to allow for a safer environment for our graduation ceremony,” Splain said.

Otto-Eldred also has a number of summer camps providing educational opportunities this summer for K-8 students, including rocket camps and a program for eighth grade students that includes the construction of a clay kiln and the ability to bake pizzas.

While the rounds of funding have been helpful in addressing the unforeseen challenges brought to light by a global pandemic and a sudden requirement for remote learning, day-to-day costs remain the same when students return to in-person learning.

“Schools must be very diligent in planning. This funding will end after three years. We cannot apply this funding to ongoing expenses. Additionally, this funding cannot be viewed as additional funding to support operational expenses,” Splain said. “We have the opportunity to make some one-time purchases or investments in our programs. Our typical sources of funding (Basic Ed, Special Ed, Property Tax, etc.) must keep up with the ongoing increases that occur, most of which are outside our local control.”

Bradford Area School District

“The funding allowed us to ensure that all of our students had access to the necessary technology and internet services that they needed when they had to quarantine or during times that the schools needed to close due to Covid-19,” said Katherine Pude, Bradford Area School District Superintendent. “It also provided us with the ability to train our teachers and purchase an online platform so that we could deliver the instruction remotely when needed.”

The opportunities provided by the funds did not stop there. With a look to the future, Pude explained there are services and programs that benefit from the receipt of this funding.

“Moving forward, we will be able to provide remedial academic services to our students who may not have adequately progressed throughout the school year, as well as accelerated services for those who may need them,” Pude said. “The funding also will provide us the opportunity to better address mental health needs and provide additional counseling services to our students.”

She explained Bradford has hired an additional school counselor for GGB and will also have two social work interns working within the district’s schools.

“We also now have the ability to move to a one-to-one computer initiative, to create outdoor classroom learning spaces, to expand our Leader in Me program, and to address some capital projects that may fit within the guidelines of acceptable usage,” Pude concluded.

Port Allegany School District

“The Port Allegany School District used its ESSERS I funding to purchase pandemic related cleaning and disinfecting supplies and equipment used during the 2020-2021 school year,” said Gary Buchsen, Port Allegany School District Superintendent. “The district was also able to purchase distance learning equipment, Chromebooks, and related software for both buildings.”

Buchsen went on to note that ESSERs II funding “has been dedicated to be used to offset costs of the high school HVAC project. This project includes upgraded air filtering and will improve the overall air quality and learning environment of the building. That work is expected to be completed by the start of the 2021-22 school year in late August.”

Buchsen said that the ESSERS III funding, which was approved as part of the ARP in March, has not been designated for a specific purpose as of yet.