|
ESD Superintendents and Business Managers,
On May 28th, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) was awarded $121.1 million from the U.S. Department of Education for the Elementary and Secondary School Education Relief (ESSER) Fund. ESSER is part of H.R. 748, The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and is designed to provide relief to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) as they prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19 and the impacts it has on ensuring a safe and quality education for all students. As required by the CARES Act, ODE must distribute a minimum of 90% of these resources directly to LEAs through a statutory defined formula. These funds are to be used for eligible purposes defined in Section 18003(d) of the Act.
In accordance to the ESSER requirements, ODE allocated $109.9 million on Friday, June 17th, to all Oregon school districts, and opened up the application process for each to apply to the Department. While Education Service Districts (ESD) do not qualify as LEAs under the CARES Act and are not eligible to receive funds through the 90% requirement, they clearly play a critical role in Oregon in supporting school districts in responding to the pandemic. In addition, many ESDs provide direct education services to students and children specifically through Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (EI/ESCE), Long Term Care and Treatment (LTCT), Youth Corrections Education Program (YCEP), and Juvenile Detention Education Program (JDEP).
In an effort to support the critical role of ESDs in responding to the impacts of COVID-19 on Oregon’s education system, ODE is announcing the allocation of $4.1 million of ESSER from the allowable $11.5 million of state set aside. The CARES Act identifies these resources as state funding to be awarded by ODE for contracts or grants to address other emergency needs as identified by the Department. The allocation for each ESD is identified here in the updated CARES Act ESSER Allocations.
Through the allocation of these funds, ESDs shall use these funds to support school districts in their region in carrying out the eligible purposes identified in Section 18003(d). In addition, the funds shall also be used for the eligible purposes in supporting their individual EI/ECSE, LTCT, YCEP, and JDEP Programs. ESDs will be required to complete a streamlined application that will be released next week. Upon submission and subsequent review and approval of ODE, funding will be made available through the Electronic Grants Management System.
If you have questions regarding this allocation of resources or existing guidance available on the ESSER website, please don’t hesitate to contact Mike Wiltfong at Michael.Wiltfong@state.or.us.
Thank you,
Mike
Michael Wiltfong
School Finance and School Facilities, Director
Office of Finance and Information Technology
P: 503-947-5914
Michael.Wiltfong@state.or.us
|
