Department of Education releases plan template for American Rescue Plan education funds

Last week, the U.S. Department of Education released the State plan application that will support states in describing how they will use resources under the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief III (ARP ESSER III) fund to continue to support students during the school year and summer, especially those most impacted by the pandemic. 

Last month, states received access to two-thirds of their ARP ESSER allocation—a total of $81 billion. The remaining one-third of the funds, $41 billion, will become available after states' plans are approved by the Department. After the final one-third of funds are made available, states would have received access to nearly $122 billion to help safely reopen and operate schools and address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students, including addressing their academic, social and emotional needs in and out of school.

The Department released the following to help state education agencies think through their ESSER III plans:

• State plan template 
• Letter to School Chiefs
• Notice on LEA plans – and call for comments

The State plan application presents an opportunity for states and local education agencies to engage stakeholders including afterschool and summer learning providers and advocates, parents, and students, to ensure that the needs of students and communities are best reflected in state and local spending plans. Many states and school districts are already actively developing their plans for the use of ARP ESSER III funds. In addition to the State plans, school districts will also be required to seek broad public input and develop their own plans for the use of ARP ESSER III funds. This is in addition to the statutory requirement in the American Rescue Plan that school districts develop a plan for the safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services.

In the State plan template, State Education Agencies are asked to describe how they will ensure states and school districts are demonstrating transparency in their planning, identify and meet the needs of students most impacted by the pandemic, choose effective evidence-based interventions, and prioritize educational equity, inclusive stakeholder engagement, and strong fiscal safeguards. States must also answer targeted questions on how they plan to use the summer, learning recovery and afterschool set asides including how community based organizations can be included. According to the federal Department of Education, these plans will provide critical information to the public and the Department about the use of these unprecedented resources. The plans will also inform the Department's technical assistance to states and school districts, as well as the Department's approach to monitoring implementation of ARP ESSER III funds.

States must submit their ARP ESSER III State plans by June 7, 2021. The Department will begin approving applications and disbursing the remaining ARP ESSER III funds once plans are received and reviewed. To support states in completing their State Plans and meeting ARP ESSER III requirements, the Department has also issued an accompanying notice of interim final requirements with additional details. The notice is available here.

States must also commit to several actions as part of their receipt of ARP ESSER III funds. One addresses civil rights protections, reflecting the state's responsibility to ensure that it will conduct all its operations so that no person shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination based on race, color, national origin, which includes a person's limited English proficiency or English learner status and a person's actual or perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics; sex; age; or disability. Other important commitments address transparency and compliance with ARP ESSER III requirements such as uses of funds, maintenance of effort, and maintenance of equity.

The state plan template and application come on the heels of the release of two volumes of the COVID-19 Handbook: Roadmap to Reopening Safely and Meeting All Students' Needs. The Handbooks provide roadmaps and strategies to support the safe reopening of all America's schools and to promote educational equity by addressing opportunity gaps that have been exacerbated by the pandemic, including direction on using the ARP ESSER III funds for afterschool and summer enrichment programs.