In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress appropriated more than $190 billion in aid to K-12 education to provide relief, promote recovery, and prevent learning loss. Given that the federal government spends
about $80 billion annually on elementary and secondary education, these funds represent a massive investment
and commitment to students and schools.
They also represent a tremendous opportunity to provide students with support that can keep them on the pathway to postsecondary education. K-12 districts and schools are permitted to use these funds broadly (more on that in a moment), and NCAN’s strong
desire and sincere hope is that many of these local education agencies will invest these funds in college and career readiness activities.
NCAN’s community-based organization and nonprofit members should make themselves readily available to fill in supports wherever possible.
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) released detailed guidance about using funds provided through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) (see pages 22-23
specifically about allowable summer enrichment programs). ED also released
this handy FAQ about the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund. Some key points from the FAQ:
Districts and schools have “considerable flexibility” in how to obligate ESSER funds.
State educational agencies (SEAs) do not have the authority to limit the uses of ESSER formula funds.
A district may support any school in the district, or it may target funds based on poverty, indication of school needs, or other targeting measures.
Funds can be used retroactively: an SEA, district, or school may use ESSER funds for any allowable expenditure incurred on or after March 13, 2020.
There is an extensive list of allowable uses of the recovery and relief funds. These include:
Any activity currently authorized under ESEA, IDEA, AEFLA, Perkins, or McKinney-Vento.
Providing principals and others school leaders with the resources necessary to address the needs of their individual schools.
Addressing the unique needs of children or students from low-income backgrounds, children with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and foster care youth, including outreach and service
delivery.
Planning and implementing activities related to summer learning and supplemental afterschool programs.
Probably the biggest takeaway here is that any use allowable for Title I spending is allowable here for the recovery and relief funding, which in and of itself greenlights a large swath of activities. That said, the list above is non-exhaustive (and contains
way more allowable uses). For more on the legislation that created the ESSER funds, see the end of this post.
Other uses aside, partnering with community-based organizations to provide postsecondary readiness services to students clearly falls under the broad umbrella of allowable ways for districts and schools to obligate these funds.
Additionally, the ARP Act requires that districts and schools set aside 20% of their funds to address learning loss “through the implementation of evidence-based interventions, such as summer learning or summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive
afterschool programs, or extended school year programs, and ensure that such interventions respond to students’ academic, social, and emotional needs.” Summer melt and other college and career readiness activities would also fall into this bucket.
And because districts and schools can do it, NCAN strongly believes that they should.
Now is the time for districts and schools and college access programs to come together to fill in service gaps for students. The coronavirus’s impact on college access has been clear:
FAFSA completions were down 4.2% for the class of 2020, a decrease of about 100,000 completions compared to the year before.
Fall enrollment for the class of 2020 declined 6.8%, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, including even steeper declines in low-income
and high-minority high schools.
FAFSA completions for the class of 2021 are even bleaker than last year’s; as of April 30, completions are down 5.8% compared to last year, a difference of more than 110,000 completions.
The number of first-generation students applying to college through the Common App is down three percentage points.
43% of first-generation students have now modified the number of schools they are applying to due to the pandemic.
Nearly half of those students say their college plans are changing because they find it too difficult to focus on
their future amid the pandemic. About one-third say it’s because they have been unable to connect to their school counselor for advice.
Partnering with an external organization makes sense for districts and schools right now for a few reasons:
College access organizations have the content (and technical) knowledge (like postsecondary advising and how to complete a FAFSA) to quickly assist students and families with their most pressing milestones, and many college access organizations have
been delivering these services virtually for the past year.
Working with a college access organization means that a district or school does not have to hire (or train) more specialized staff of its own to deliver services. District and school administrators who are worried about the sustainability of recovery-related
staffing can put that worry aside by working through a partnership.
Time is of the essence. We are already in mid-May. Students are making decisions now that will affect their potential fall matriculation. Immediate enrollment following high school graduation is associated with eventual completion. Students who fall
off a postsecondary pathway now are at significant risk for never rejoining one.
In short, NCAN members across the country are staffed, trained, and ready to help districts and schools fill in where they need extra support for students this summer (and beyond).
The data are clear, and disastrous, for students’ postsecondary outcomes. The class of 2020 saw significant enrollment declines, and without decisive action, the class of 2021 will experience the same. Congress has made the investment and created the
opportunity to avert more damage to students’ futures. Now is the time for partnerships to be forged across the K-12 and nonprofit sectors to keep students’ postsecondary aspirations alive and ensure their matriculation in the fall.
Additional Information on Congressional Relief and Recovery Funding
Since March 2020, Congress has established three Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funds through legislation. These were contained in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act ($13.5 billion to ESSER-I), the
Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act ($54.3 billion to ESSER-II), and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act ($122.7 billion to ESSER-III). Funds are awarded to state education agencies (SEAs), who pass them through
to districts and schools. The funds are distributed based on existing ESEA Title I-A proportions.
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