As the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) program winds down, state and local educational agencies (SEAs and LEAs) are thinking about how to sustain effective activities paid for with ESSER funds.
Because traditional U.S. Department of Education (ED) grant programs can be part of sustainability efforts, CCSSO developed this resource to highlight potential spending options that may be relevant for ESSER sustainability.
This resource looks at how ED funds could support student wellness. Because the bulk of traditional ED grant funds are spent by LEAs, these resources focus on local spending options. SEAs oversee local spending of traditional ED grants.
Although traditional ED grant funds can help with sustainability, there are several issues to consider:
First, traditional ED grant programs are much smaller than ESSER and have more restrictions on what they can pay for and who can benefit.
Second, traditional ED grant programs are subject to many spending rules that are not addressed in these resources. These include rules outside of the program laws, such as ED’s Education Department General Administrative Regulations and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget’s Uniform Grant Guidance. These resources focus on allowable activities in key ED grant programs, but not all expenses that relate to an allowable activity can necessarily be paid with grant funds.
Third, SEAs play a significant role in ensuring ED grant funds are spent appropriately. Part of this role is ensuring activities supported with those funds are reasonable in light of program goals. SEAs approach this responsibility in different ways, so the goal of these resources is not to suggest the activities highlighted should be allowed in all circumstances, but rather to show they could be allowed in appropriate circumstances.
Ultimately, SEAs and LEAs, in conversation with their local communities, will decide how best to invest ED funds. This resource is intended only to help guide those conversations.
CCSSO worked in partnership with the Federal Education Group, PLLC to develop this resource to help state and local education agencies explore opportunities to sustain high-impact investments using traditional federal education grants. For questions, contact Peter Zamora, Director of Federal Relations and Policy (peter.zamora@ccsso.org). For questions on sharing, please contact communications@ccsso.org.
