The Administration recommends that the Board of Education ratify the acceptance of grant funding by the School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent or his designee, as follows:

Grants from: The Pennsylvania Department of Education, under two different federal funding streams authorized by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act: (1) Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funds, Round 2 Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (ESSER) Round 2, and (2) Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Funds Round 2

Purpose: To cover costs associated with providing continuity of access to education during crisis precipitated by the ongoing pandemic emergency

Total Grant Funding Amount: $600,000,000

Grant Start Date:  3/13/2020

Grant End Date:  9/30/2023

Location(s):

All Schools

Description:  This action item seeks authorization to accept additional funding, originating from the federal government, intended to provide school districts with financial relief in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.  The CRRSA Act was signed into law on December 27, 2020, appropriating significant funding for states to use for a variety of purposes, including financial relief for schools.  The PA Department of Education opened applications for ESSER Round 2 funds in late January 2021, and the District submitted its application for its share of those funds on February 2.  We anticipate applications for GEER Round 2 funds shortly.  In both cases, in compliance with the underlying federal statutes, the funds will be available to cover costs related to providing continuity of access to education, including costs incurred as far back as the beginning of the pandemic emergency in our area on March 13, 2020.