Business Affairs

What is the purpose of the ARP ESSER III funds?

The purpose of ESSER in general is to award subgrants to school districts, such as Cicero District 99, to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools. The aim of ESSER III funding is to enable Cicero District 99 to develop a plan for the "safe return to in-person learning and continuity of services for the purpose of promoting transparency and accountability for funds usage" by the District.

How much funding is available to Cicero District 99?

A total of $40,880,936 is available to the District. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has a list of available funds for all of the state's school districts on its website.

How does Cicero District 99 know its granted amount?

Grant allocations are posted on ISBE's webpage.

What is the funding period for ARP ESSER III grants?

Funds may be used for allowable activities from March, 13 2020 (with approved pre-award) through Sept. 30, 2024.

What are the federal requirements around the District ESSER III Use Of Funds Plan?

Cicero District 99 must engage in meaningful consultation with stakeholders and give the public an opportunity to provide input in the development of its plan for the uses of ARP ESSER III funds. As there is no prescriptive process for gathering community input, Cicero District 99 has chosen to utilize a community stakeholder survey to solicit meaningful input for the ARP ESSER III Grant.

To encourage participation, the availability of the community stakeholder survey will be advertised by Cicero District 99 via website, mobile application and social media outlets. 

Cicero District 99 must provide its plan for the uses of ARP ESSER III funds in an understandable and uniform format. Cicero District 99's plan for the uses of ARP ESSER III funds will be posted to the District's website within 30 days of receiving its ESSER III Notice of Grant Award.

Are the ESSER III funds required to be used for specific purposes?

Yes, Cicero District 99 per grant guidelines must expend a minimum of 20 percent of their grant funds to address "the academic impact of lost instructional time" (learning loss). Cicero District 99 can spend these funds on:

1. Evidence-based interventions, such as summer learning, extended day comprehensive after school programs, or extended school year programs.

2. Ensure interventions respond to students' academic, social, emotional and mental health needs, and address the disproportionate impact of coronavirus on student populations as defined in ESEA, Title 1, Part A, students experiencing homelessness, students with disabilities, migratory students and youth in foster care.

Are there recommended uses of ESSER III funds that will assist school districts in addressing the impact of the COVID pandemic and disruptions leading to learning loss?

While keeping in mind and requirements under ESSER III related to accelerating student learning, it is strongly encouraged that school systems plan how to use these "one time" federal funds expeditiously over the entire covered period to facilitate a more comprehensive long-term approach to learning acceleration. This process may include aligned strategies that are currently part of our District's current plans and strategies. Refer to the below list of examples:

Professional Development: High-quality instructional materials, professional development stipends, technology integration training.

Extended Instructional Time: Extended day, extended year, high-dosage tutoring, summer learning, before and after school programming.

Staffing: Small group instruction, staff retention and recruitment, after school enrichment programs, instructional coaching and leadership.

School Safety: Health Life Safety Improvements, Air Quality Improvements, Construction, and Renovations. 

Technology: Educational technology to include hardware and software, connectivity, digital tools and resources. 

Mental Health and Behavioral Supports: Social workers, additional related service providers, additional counseling services, teacher training and programming, wrap-around and community partnerships. 

What are some of the allowable uses of the ARP ESSER III funds?

ESSER funds are designated to be used in any or all of designated areas, which include addressing learning loss, providing professional development, improving indoor air quality, providing social and emotional supports, updating and providing technology, and other areas addressing health standards such as:

-Universal and correct mask wearing

- Physical distancing and modifications necessary to achieve the same

- Hand washing and respiratory etiquette

- Facility cleaning and maintenance

- Contact tracing and isolation/quarantine

- Diagnostic and screening testing

- Vaccination efforts

- Accommodations for students with disabilities

- Coordination with local health officials

The purpose of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III Fund is to help safely reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools and address the impacts of COVID-19 on the nation's students by addressing students' academic, social, emotional and mental health needs. 

Cicero District 99 has been awarded $40,880,936 in ESSER III funds. This plan describes how the awarded funds will be used. Questions about this plan should be directed to Anthony Grazzini, director of Grants and Accountability, at agrazzini@cicd99.edu.

Throughout the pandemic, both through remote and in-person instruction, Cicero District 99 has continued to provide engaging, equitable and inclusive learning experiences for all students. District 99 intends to utilize ARP-ESSER III funds to support these educational opportunities with students back to full in-person instruction to mitigate learning loss. Funds will be used to continue providing a safe, healthy and inclusive learning environment that addresses the unique needs of District 99’s students and schools.

District 99 has allocated funds to supplementary programs, resources and staff. Repairs and improvements to school facilities will reduce the risk of virus transmission and exposure to environmental health hazards and support student, faculty and staff health needs. The District has prioritized indoor air quality improvement through filtering, purification and air cleaning. Finally, understanding that play has significant cognitive, emotional, and social benefits for elementary school children, the District intends to build playgrounds at schools to support the unstructured play requirement for school to help students to focus, build friendships, improve mood, work cooperatively and work through conflict without adult intervention.  

In District 99, curriculum coaches and instructional coaches provide job-embedded professional development to support teachers working with students who may have experienced challenges or interruptions in learning due to the pandemic. In addition, the District is allocating ESSER III funds to provide additional support staff to assist with health and safety protocols, student scaffolds, support and other supervision needed as part of our pandemic response. Moreover, District 99 will provide BASS (before and after school programs), targeted tutoring and summer programs for at-risk students in grades preK through eight to address unfinished learning with ESSER III funds. 

As part of District 99's approach to full in-person instruction and continuity of services, access to digital resources will also be enhanced with the support of ESSER III funds. These resources and targeted programming will respond to the academic, social, emotional and mental health needs of all students, particularly those students disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including, but not limited to, students from low-income families, students of color, English learners, children with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, children in foster care and migratory students.  

District 99 will continue to engage in meaningful consultation with stakeholders regarding our plans to support students, staff and families throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. If families have questions regarding the reopening plan or the use of federal ESSER III funds, they may complete the survey found on the reopening plan page on the District website. Families may also attend District board meetings and parent informational meetings to hear about continued plans to support in-person instruction and continuity of services for students. As noted in the presentation to the board of education, the District will continue to collect community input in an ongoing manner from the District Leadership Team, Bilingual Parent Advisory Council, quarterly face-to-face stakeholder meetings and through the use of web-based surveys.