Minnesota will receive about $588 million in emergency funding for school from the latest federal COVID-19 relief package approved in late December.
The funding comes from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund II and represents about four times the amount of money that was distributed when the original ESSER funds came out last year. The state plans to provide about 90 percent of this latest funding directly to schools.
The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, signed into law on Dec. 27, provided an additional $54.3 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER II Fund).
View Estimates by School District
Use of Funds
Schools districts can use the funds the same way they did with the original ESSER funds with some additional uses such as:
- Addressing for learning loss
- Preparing schools for reopening and COVID testing
- Upgrading projects to improve air quality in school buildings
Timing
School districts should use their original ESSER funds first as they need to be spent by Sept. 30, 2022.
Schools have another year to use the ESSER II funds. Districts will need to spend this latest round of ESSER II funds by Sept. 30, 2023.
Both funds can be spent on allowable uses dating back to March 13, 2020.
Not all schools received the same amount of ESSER 2 funds per pupil because these funds were calculated based on Title 1 dollars that schools receive.
