COVID-19 Relief Funding for Education
The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund was created by Congress in March 2020 as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The ESSER Fund consists of federal dollars allotted to help state education departments and school districts throughout the country combat the impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on students and K-12 education as a whole.
- Over $189 billion were appropriated to the ESSER Fund under the three COVID-19 relief/stimulus packages passed by Congress: the CARES Act (ESSER I), the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act (ESSER II), and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act (ESSER III).
- Of the $189 billion in ESSER funding, Connecticut has been awarded nearly $1.7 billion.
Scroll down to learn more about the ESSER funds Connecticut has received, and how school districts across the state are planning to use their funds.
The visualization below details the ESSER I, II, and III funds allocated to Connecticut. The U.S. Department of Education required at least 90% of each ESSER fund allocation be distributed to local education agencies (LEAs), such as local school districts, magnet school operators, and charter school operators. Additionally, up to 10% of each ESSER fund allocation could be reserved by the state education agency (SEA), which for Connecticut is the State Department of Education (CSDE).
More information about the fund distributions can be found here under ESSER Resources, including ESSER I, ESSER II, and ESSER III allocation tables that break down state ESSER amounts and allowable uses.
The visualization below shows the total ESSER I, ESSER II, and ESSER III funds awarded so far to each of Connecticut's school districts. Under the CARES Act, any district that received ESSER Fund dollars was required to use a portion of those awarded dollars to provide equitable services to students and teachers in nonpublic schools located within the district. This provision was not included as part of ESSER II or ESSER III funding.
Use the dropdown menu on the left to select a district. Hover over one of the bars on the visualization to view the amount of funding a district was awarded for that specific activity. Please note not all districts have received their ESSER III funds. As a result, those districts that have not received their funds are not included in the below visualization.
ESSER I (CARES Act)
Signed into law in March 2020, the CARES Act was the first coronavirus relief and stimulus package passed by Congress. The CARES Act provided $54.3 billion in ESSER funding (known as ESSER I), of which Connecticut received $111 million.
- Under the CARES Act, the amount of ESSER funds a district received was based on the district's Title I, Part A subgrant amount for fiscal year 2019. Title I, Part A provides financial assistance to districts and schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families.
- ESSER I funding provided to Connecticut's districts ranged from $10.3 million for Hartford Public Schools to $2,524 for Norfolk Public Schools.
- Districts have until September 30, 2022 to use their ESSER I funds.
Use the visualization below to explore how Connecticut's districts are using their ESSER I funds. Hover over one of the bars on the visualization to view the amount of funding Connecticut's districts have been awarded for that specific object and activity.
Use the visualization below to explore how each of Connecticut's districts is using its ESSER I funds. To select a district, use the dropdown menu on the left. To view the amount of ESSER I funding a district is planning to use on a particular object, simply hover over that portion of the district's bar graph. To remove an object from the graph, click on the object in the legend below the graph, or double click on an object in the legend to isolate it on the graph.
ESSER II (CRRSA Act)
Passed near the end of December 2020, the CRRSA Act provided $13.2 billion in ESSER funding (known as ESSER II), of which Connecticut received $492 million.
- Under the CRRSA Act, the amount of ESSER II funds a district was eligible to receive was based on the district's Title I, Part A subgrant amount for fiscal year 2020.
- ESSER II funding provided to Connecticut's districts ranged from $45.7 million for Hartford Public Schools to $11,191 for Norfolk Public Schools.
- Districts have until September 30, 2023 to use their ESSER II funds.
- State-level priority areas for ESSER II funds include: Academic Supports, Learning Loss, Learning Acceleration and Recovery; Family and Community Connections; School Safety and Social-Emotional Well-Being of the “Whole Student” and of School Staff; and Remote Learning, Staff Development, and the Digital Divide.
Use the visualization below to explore by priority area how Connecticut's school districts are using their ESSER II funding. Hover over each box to see how much funding districts are planning to spend on that priority area.
For a deeper dive into what funds are being used for, click on a priority area to reveal the specific uses that ESSER II funds are going toward. Hover over a box to see the amount of funding Connecticut's districts are planning to devote to that specific use. To go back to viewing the visualization by priority area, simply click the arrow in the upper righthand corner.
Use the visualization below to explore by priority area how each of Connecticut's school districts is using its ESSER II funding. To select a district, use the dropdown menu on the left. Hover over each box to see how much funding the selected district is planning to spend on that priority area.
Click on a priority area to reveal the specific uses the selected district is planning to spend its ESSER II funds on. Hover over a box to see the amount of funding the selected district is planning to devote to that specific use. To go back to viewing the visualization by priority area, simply click the arrow in the upper righthand corner.
Use the visualization below for a deeper dive into how each of Connecticut's districts is using its ESSER II funds. To select a district, use the dropdown menu on the left. To view the amount of ESSER II funding a district is planning to use on a particular object, simply hover over that portion of the district's bar graph. To remove an object from the graph, click on the object in the legend below the graph, or double click on an object in the legend to isolate it on the graph.
USING ESSER FUNDS
Explore the processes states and districts must follow to use their ESSER funding.
ESSER III (ARP Act)
The third COVID-19 relief/stimulus package passed by Congress, the ARP Act, was signed into law on March 11, 2021 and provided $122 billion in ESSER funding (known as ESSER III), of which Connecticut received $1.1 billion.
- Just like the CRRSA Act, under the ARP Act, the amount of ESSER III funds a district is eligible to receive is based on the district's Title I, Part A subgrant amount for fiscal year 2020.
- The state-level priority areas for ESSER III funds are the same as ESSER II.
- Districts have until September 30, 2024 to use their ESSER III funds.
Please note not all districts have received their ESSER III funds. As a result, those districts that have not received their funds are not included in any of the below ESSER III visualizations.
Use the visualization below to explore by priority area how Connecticut's school districts are using their ESSER III funding. Hover over each box to see how much funding districts are planning to spend on that priority area.
For a deeper dive into what funds are being used for, click on a priority area to reveal the specific uses that ESSER III funds are going toward. Hover over a box to see the amount of funding Connecticut's districts are planning to devote to that specific use. To go back to viewing the visualization by priority area, simply click the arrow in the upper righthand corner.
Use the visualization below to explore by priority area how each of Connecticut's school districts is using its ESSER III funding. To select a district, use the dropdown menu on the left. Hover over each box to see how much funding the selected district is planning to spend on that priority area.
Click on a priority area to reveal the specific uses the selected district is planning to spend its ESSER III funds on. Hover over a box to see the amount of funding the selected district is planning to devote to that specific use. To go back to viewing the visualization by priority area, simply click the arrow in the upper righthand corner.
Use the visualization below for a deeper dive into how each of Connecticut's districts is using its ESSER III funds. To select a district, use the dropdown menu on the left. To view the amount of ESSER III funding a district is planning to use on a particular object, simply hover over that portion of the district's bar graph. To remove an object from the graph, click on the object in the legend below the graph, or double click on an object in the legend to isolate it on the graph.
Note
Visualizations on this page are based on data pulled from the Connecticut State Department of Education's grants management system as of July 8, 2022.