ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief)
Looking Back:
The ESSER CARES I funding cycle closed on September 30, 2022. The Final Expenditure Report (FER) should have been submitted through E-Grants no later than October 25, 2022. If your ESSER I FERs have not been approved, you will not be able to draw down from ESSER II or ESSER III. If you haven’t yet, submit your FERs for your ESSER I grant(s)!
Thank you to all of the schools who spent down the ESSER I grant. We’ve seen ESSER funds used to support students in so many ways – from ventilation and sanitation, to student technology access, and beyond. Let’s keep up the great work as we finish out ESSER CRRSA II and ESSER ARP III!
The Thermometer image above shows the status of Montana’s ESSER/EANS Grants as of November 2022. This visual is updated on a monthly basis and can be found on the OPI ESSER webpage.
District Monthly Status Reports view of allocated and expended funds can be found on the OPI ESSER webpage here.
THANK YOU to all who registered and attended the November ESSER Virtual Guidance Sessions during the week of November 14-18! Videos and slides from all past guidance sessions are posted on the OPI ESSER Webpage and YouTube channel.
Looking Ahead:
ESSER Grant Compliance:
- Safe Return plan updated at least every six months: OPI verification done in June and December.
- ARP ESSER plan reviewed/updated at least every six months: OPI verification done in June and December.
- Data Collection/Annual Grant Reporting each year in spring; date TBD by Federal Dept of Education.
OPI is committed to a system of support for school districts, students, and parents throughout Montana that provides an array of services. Individual district consultation on ESSER funding is available upon request. Please reach out to Wendi Fawns at wendi.fawns@mt.gov to schedule a time for your district.
OPI has formed an ESSER Review Committee. This committee will be helpful in assisting OPI in training, processing, and compliance process revisions for ESSER. The committee will meet remotely on a monthly basis and cover topics such as: data collection/annual reports, plan revision, training topics and format, and overall ESSER support. We are seeking 10-15 committed district members to participate. If interested, please reach out to Wendi Fawns or Rebecca Brown for more information.
December’s Virtual ESSER Guidance Sessions will take place during the week of December 12-16. All sessions will be recorded and posted on the OPI ESSER Webpage. More information and updates will be sent out as we get closer to those sessions.
The Afterschool and Summer Enrichment grants for School Year 2022-23 will be reopening this fall under the updated name ESSER Consolidated Special ELO. These grants will focus on Math and Reading programming efforts, combined with best practices promoting Social/Emotional Learning. To help prepare for these grants, we encourage applicants to actively explore local partnerships to best leverage these funds and improve student outcomes. View our site HERE for more information.
Many resources are available on the OPI ESSER webpage including but not limited to:
Questions? Contact:
Wendi Fawns, ESSER/EANS Director at wendi.fawns@mt.gov
Rebecca Brown, ESSER Program Manager at rebecca.brown@mt.gov
The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.
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