US schools have two years to use or lose once-in-a-lifetime relief funds

On Sept. 30, a critical two-year countdown clock began to tick, putting pressure on state and district leaders to meet the needs of students, educators and schools impacted by the pandemic. 

While September 2024 may seem like a distant reality, the national deadline to obligate the remainder of the one-time Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds will be here before we know it — and without adequate planning now, states and districts may be left scrambling to allocate funding efficiently and effectively. 

A lot can change in two years. We need only look so far as the pandemic’s impact on our education systems to understand just how substantial those changes must be. Today, state leaders are grappling with unprecedented levels of learning loss, educators are making the tough decision to leave the classroom and individuals across the education continuum — from students to staff to school leaders — are facing pandemic-related mental health challenges. 

As the foundations of our education systems begin to crack, it is time we take bold action and leverage the remaining federal COVID-relief dollars for real system redesign that meets student needs. 

Decisions made over the next two years in every state and in over 13,000 school districts will affect generations of students, and emerging research highlights the need to start making these decisions quickly. 

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) recently conducted a special administration of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics and reading assessments for nine-year-olds, the results of which showed the largest average decline in reading in more than 20 years and the first-ever score decline in mathematics. Other studies from North Carolina and Ohio show concerning academic declines for older students and widening gaps for students who were already behind before the pandemic. With the upcoming release of each state’s NAEP results, we will soon be able to see just how much learning loss has occurred in each state since 2020. 

Parents, families and voters are concerned about our young people and are losing faith in our education system. As part of The Hunt Institute’s COVID Constituency work, a recent national survey showed that 48 percent of voters say their overall confidence in our public schools has decreased. Voters also know that getting kids back on track academically is critical for moving forward. Seventy-three percent of voters believe ensuring students are reading at grade level is very important, and 78 percent think education leaders need to hire quality teachers and counselors. 

Perhaps most importantly, as our report of findings shows, more than 75 percent of parents and voters strongly agree that investing in our children is not a political choice, but is rather the moral, right and smart choice for our children — providing a mandate for officials on all sides of the political spectrum to take this unprecedented opportunity to enact bold change. 

While this data is alarming, we must acknowledge reality and learn from it, rather than minimize the magnitude of the issue. With $122 billion in American Rescue Plan (ARP) ESSER dollars sitting in state coffers earmarked for students, educators, districts and state education departments, and an additional $350 billion in Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) that can go to mental health supports, community wraparound services and workforce training, there are reasons for hope. Combined with other funding streams, such as the $65 billion allocated towards expanding high-speed internet access in the 2021 infrastructure bill, our community, district and state leaders are more equipped now than at any time in history to drive meaningful change. 

Several states have taken innovative approaches toward progress. Utilizing SLFRF funds, Iowa is on track to expand a brand-new, $45.6 million Teacher and Paraeducator Registered Apprenticeship program to more than 130 schools, training over 500 new paraeducators and 500 new teachers. 

On the West Coast, California has committed $45 million of its ESSER funding to introduce a statewide competitive grant program to expand community schools as part of a larger seven-year, $3 billion initiative, which will provide a variety of critically-needed social and emotional supports for students. 

Meanwhile, New Mexico has allocated portions of its funding for an innovative new initiative, ENGAGE New Mexico, which provides coaching, academic support, and other referral services to students most heavily impacted by the pandemic.

Yet, despite the investments to date, states must do more. As of early summer, states have collectively only spent 7 percent of their allocated funding, with significant variations in spending from community to community, according to Edunomic Lab’s ongoing ESSER monitoring effort. This suggests that most districts may have the bulk of their ESSER funds left to be obligated. 

Our nation’s largest school districts — many of which closed their doors earlier and for longer periods than others — have spent the least. In fact, of the largest 25 districts, those that utilized a remote learning model for at least half of the 2020-21 school year, have only spent roughly 15 percent of their ESSER dollars, meaning hundreds of thousands of students, many of whom were already historically underserved, may be missing out on critical supports. 

With each passing minute, state education departments and districts are running out of time to take advantage of this financial opportunity, to ensure every student recovers mentally, socially and academically and create a “new normal” for education. This two-year countdown mandates bold innovation and transformative thinking, not caution and trepidation. 

We have more money than we are likely to ever see again earmarked for education, it is time we take advantage of it — because our children’s future depends on it.

Bob Wise is the former governor of West Virginia, who served from 2001-2005 and a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, having served from 1983-2001. He currently runs the education systems consulting firm, Bob Wise, LLC. Javaid Siddiqi, Ph.D. is president and CEO of The Hunt Institute.