The Music Education Post Pandemic Planning Guide - Volume 6

Understanding ESSER

Understanding the lingo allows you to better navigate the opportunities. Here is a crash course on terminology and important dates to consider:

• Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act - March 2020
• Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA, sometimes referred to as "CARES Act II") - December 2020
• American Rescue Plan (ARP) - March 2021

As part of these relief bills, money was allocated to support educational needs through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funds. This money flows from the federal government to the states, from the states to the districts, and from the districts to individual schools and programs in the form of grants. Because funding is awarded as a grant, it’s crucial that your program and school proactively request this funding, as it can be widely used to support music education.

Time is of the essence! Be sure to check with your state's Department of Education for deadlines on when the money must be spent.

Navigating What’s Available in Your State

ESSER funds move from the federal level to the state level, to the school district level, down to your school. However, to access these funds, you need to know who to ask, for what, and when to do it! Let's take a look at how to navigate the available funds for your state:

See what funds are available. Use these resources to see what funds are allocated for your state from round 1, round 2, and round 3 of ESSER. You may also want to find your State Department guidance on how funds can be used. Each state has issued guidelines on how the funds can be used. This resource shows the specific guidance your state provides to local districts.

Prepare for the Ask

Now that you have established what funding may be available to your program, it's essential to request these funds directly. Because funding is distributed in the form of grants, programs and districts must request the funds and declare the intended usage to receive them. The following is a primary list of people you should be in contact with when requesting these grants.

Using ESSER Funds

ESSER funds are intended to help music programs in several ways, including mitigating the risk of COVID spread, offering supplemental support, and ensuring students have equitable access to music in various learning environments. Here are a few examples of ways that ESSER funds are being used in music classrooms:

• Instrument cleaning and sanitization
• Purchasing personal protective equipment (PPE including mouthpieces, cleaning supplies, masks, and covers
• Facility and HVAC improvements
• Instrument purchases to prevent sharing
• Music learning software packages
• Digital learning equipment
• Summer programs and supplemental instructional support

Resource Round-Up

Here are some more resources you can use to help you better navigate the process of accessing and utilizing ESSER funds within your program.

• NFHS recently released its ESSER Funds Guidelines.
• The U.S. Department of Education has an online dashboard that shows how ESSER I funds are distributed down to the district level.
• If you want to estimate your district’s ESSER II and ESSER III funding, multiply the ESSER I amount by 4 and 10, respectively.
• "After Hours: Conversations for Music Educators" recently sat down with Marcia Neel, Dave Gerhart, and Heather Mansell of Yamaha to do a deep-dive on ESSER funds. You can find this podcast episode here.
• Don’t forget that music funding is also available for Title IV, Part A. Here is a toolkit from NAFME on Title IV, Part A funds.