ARP Act Funding

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ARP Act Overview | ESSER III Funds | Application | Allowable Uses | Formula Allocations | SEA Reserve Funds | Homeless Children and Youth | EANS II | Reporting | Liquidation Extension Request Application | ESSER III Plans | Maintenance of Equity | State Plan | FAQs | Other Information

ARP Act Overview

In response to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), the U.S. Congress passed the ARP Act, which was signed into law on March 11, 2021. This federal stimulus funding is the third act of federal relief in response to COVID-19, following the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed into law on March 27, 2020, and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act signed into law on December 27, 2020. For more information on the CARES Act, please visit the California Department of Education (CDE) CARES Act Funding web page. For more information on the CRRSA Act, please visit the CDE CRRSA Act Funding web page.

The main funding source for local educational agencies (LEAs) in the ARP Act is the ESSER III fund. The ESSER III fund accounts for nearly $122 billion of funding for all states and California’s allocation is $15,079,696,097. The ESSER III funding provides LEAs with emergency relief funds to address the impact of COVID-19 on elementary and secondary schools across the nation. The ARP Act also requires the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to reserve $800 million to support efforts to identify homeless children and youth, and provide such youth with comprehensive, wrap-around services that address needs arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and allows them to attend school and participate fully in all school activities. California’s allocation for these funds is $98,709,231. For information regarding the ARP-Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY) Fund, please visit the Homeless Education web page. Additionally, within the ARP Act there is a program for non-public schools, the Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (EANS) II grant, which accounts for $2.75 billion for all states and $181,312,003 for California.

New information and guidance will be added as it becomes available. If you would like to be notified when new information is available, please join the CDE's Federal Relief Funds listserv by sending a blank email message to join-edrelieffunds@mlist.cde.ca.gov.

ESSER III Funds

Section 2001(c) of the ARP Act requires ED to allocate the ESSER III fund based on the proportion that each State received under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) in the 2020–21 fiscal year (FY). California’s allocation for ESSER III is $15,079,696,097. Funds may be used for pre-award costs dating back to March 13, 2020, when the national emergency was declared. These funds are available for obligation by the state and subrecipients through September 30, 2024.

Each state must use no less than 90 percent of its allocation ($13,571,726,487 in California) to make subgrants to LEAs, based on each LEA’s share of funds received under Title I, Part A in FY 2020–21.

LEAs are not required to provide equitable services for ESSER III as they were for ESSER I under the CARES Act. The ARP Act contains an EANS set-aside. Please see the EANS section for more information.

ESSER III Application for Funds – Closed December 17, 2021

Eligible LEAs that completed the application by June 25, 2021, received the first apportionment of funds that was released in August 2021. Eligible LEAs had until December 17, 2021, to apply for and receive funds through subsequent apportionments based on quarterly expenditure reporting. Please see the ESSER III Formula Allocations section for the allocations.

The ESSER III Fund Application closed on December 17, 2021. LEAs applied for their allocation of ESSER III funds by submitting program legal assurances. Please use the search option below in order to display the application submission status of educational entities for the ESSER III fund.

ESSER III Assurances Search

ESSER III Allowable Uses

An LEA may use up to 80% of ESSER III funds (Resource Code 3213) for the broad range of activities listed in section 18003(d) of the CARES Act, section 313(d) of the CRRSA Act, and section 2001(e) of the ARP Act, based on guidance that what is allowable under one of the ESSER funds is allowable under all of the ESSER funds. Use of any ESSER funds (ESSER I, ESSER II, or ESSER III) must be in accordance with allowable uses in any of these three federal stimulus acts, and in alignment with the statutory purpose of the program: to prevent, prepare for, or respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Below is a consolidated list of allowable uses. Please note that these allowable uses categories will also be utilized during quarterly reporting on each of the ESSER funds. Please visit the relevant section of the Federal Stimulus Quarterly Reporting Help Page for example expenditures for each allowable use category below.

1. Any activity authorized by the ESEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), or the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins) or the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act.
2. Coordinating preparedness and response efforts of LEA with state, local, tribal, and territorial public health departments, and other relevant agencies, to improve coordinated responses with other agencies to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.
3. Providing principals and other school leaders with the resources necessary to address the unique needs of their individual schools.
4. Activities to address the unique needs of low-income children or students, children with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and foster care youth, including how outreach and service delivery will meet the needs of each population.
5. Developing and implementing procedures and systems to improve the preparedness and response efforts of LEAs.
6. LEA staff training and professional development on sanitation and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases.
7. Purchasing supplies to sanitize and clean the facilities of an LEA, including buildings operated by such agency.
8. Planning for, coordinating, and implementing activities during long-term closures, including how to provide meals, technology for online learning, guidance on IDEA requirements, and ensuring other educational services can continue to be provided consistent with all applicable requirements.
9. Purchasing educational technology (including hardware, software, and connectivity) for students served by the LEA that aids in regular and substantive educational interactions between students and their classroom teachers, including low-income students and children with disabilities, which may include assistive technology or adaptive equipment.
10. Providing mental health services and supports, including through the implementation of evidence-based full-service community schools.
11. Planning and implementing activities related to summer learning and supplemental afterschool programs, including providing classroom instruction or online learning during the summer months and addressing the needs of low-income students, students with disabilities, English learners, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care.
12. Addressing learning loss among students, including low-income students, students with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care, of the local educational agency, including by–
    
    • Administering and using high-quality assessments that are valid and reliable, to accurately assess students’ academic progress and assist educators in meeting students’ academic progress and assist educators in meeting students’ academic needs, including through differentiating instruction.
    • Implementing evidence-based activities to meet the comprehensive needs of students.
    • Providing information and assistance to parents and families on how they can effectively support students, including in a distance learning environment.
    • Tracking student attendance and improving student engagement in distance education.
13. School facility repairs and improvements to enable operation of schools to reduce risk of virus transmission and exposure to environmental health hazards, and to support student health needs.
14. Inspection, testing, maintenance, repair, replacement, and upgrade projects to improve the indoor air quality in school facilities, including mechanical and non-mechanical heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, filtering, purification, and other air cleaning, fans, control systems, and window and door repair and replacement.
15. Developing strategies and implementing public health protocols including, to the greatest extent practicable, policies in line with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the reopening and operation of school facilities to effectively maintain the health and safety of students, educators, and other staff
16. Other activities that are necessary to maintain operations and continuity of services and continue to employ existing staff.

Additionally, Section 2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act requires an LEA to reserve not less than 20 percent of its ESSER III allocation (Resource Code 3214) to address the academic impact of lost instructional time through the implementation of evidence-based interventions. Allowable uses of this portion of funds are:

1. Summer learning or summer enrichment
2. Extended day
3. Comprehensive afterschool programs
4. Extended school year programs
5. Evidence-based high dosage tutoring
6. Full-Service Community Schools
7. Mental health services and supports
8. Adoption or integration of social emotional learning into the core curriculum/school day
9. Other evidence-based interventions
   

For the guidance shared during the ESSER III Allowable Uses and Capital Expenditures webinar on February 21, 2024, please see the ESSER III Allowable Uses and Capital Expenditures Webinar Presentation (PPTX).

ESSER III Formula Allocations

The Schedule of Allocations can be found on the ESSER III Funding Results web page.

In order to receive an allocation, LEAs must have submitted the ESSER III Legal Assurances by December 17, 2021.

ESSER III fund allocations are based on an LEA’s share of funding received under Title I, Part A in FY 2020–21. To have received FY 2020–21 Title I, Part A funds, an LEA must have:

• Been deemed an eligible LEA as reflected by a minimum U.S. Census Bureau estimated poverty count of 10 and poverty rate greater than 2%; and,
• Applied for funds on CARS no later than March 31, 2021 (deadline extended to April 16, 2021); and,
• Submitted the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) Federal Addendum no later than April 16, 2021

Exception

ESSER III fund allocations for new or significantly expanding charter schools in FY 2021–22 are based on their share of funding received under Title I, Part A in FY 2021–22. To have an FY 2021–22 Title I, Part A allocation, the charter school must have:

• Been deemed an eligible LEA as reflected by a minimum U.S Census Bureau-equivalent poverty count of 10 or more and a minimum poverty rate greater than 2% as of October 7, 2021; and,
• Applied for funds on CARS no later than March 31, 2022; and,
• Submitted the LCAP Federal Addendum no later than March 31, 2022

ESSER III SEA Reserve Funds

The ESSER III state educational agency (SEA) Reserve funds account for $1,507,969,609. Use of these funds is determined through the State budget process.

However, unlike ESSER I under the CARES Act and ESSER II under the CRRSA Act, the ESSER III SEA Reserve requires that the state spends these funds in the prescribed manner below:

• not less than 5% for activities related to addressing learning loss
• not less than 1% for summer enrichment activities
• not less than 1% for afterschool programs
• no more than 0.5% for administration of ESSER III
• remainder not otherwise allocated (no more than 3%) to be used for emergency needs as determined by the SEA to address issues responding to COVID-19

UPDATE (15-Sep-2021): California Education Code (EC) Section 43521(a)(3-4) allows for ESSER III SEA Reserve funds to be made available for obligation through September 30, 2024 (unless otherwise provided in federal law) through the Expanded Learning Opportunities Grant (ELO-G) to eligible LEAs, in combination with additional State and federal funds. $437,390,000 of the ELO-G (Resource Code 3218) is funded through the portion of the ESSER III SEA Reserve that may be spent at the discretion of the state and from part of the up to 0.5% allowed for administration. $753,985,000 of the ELO-G (Resource Code 3219) is funded through the 5% set-aside to address learning loss. More information about the ELO-G can be found on the COVID-19 Relief and School Reopening Grants web page.

UPDATE (2-Feb-2023): The State budget process allows for the use of the minimum 1% of ESSER III SEA Reserve funds for summer enrichment activities through the ESSER III Summer Grant Program to expand summer learning programs and to support summer enrichment programs in response to COVID-19 through 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) and After School Education and Safety (ASES) programs. The reserve was combined with State resources for additional reach and impact. Funds are awarded through a request for application (RFA) process. For more information, please see the ESSER III Summer Grant Program Funding Profile web page.

The State budget process additionally allows for the use of the minimum 1% of ESSER III SEA Reserve funds for afterschool programs. $2,000,000 of this funding was made available for Save the Children to operate ASES programs in rural school districts. The remainder of this portion of funding was made available for afterschool programs through additional resources to 21st CCLC and ASES programs to ensure afterschool providers can better serve students while attending to health and safety protocols related to COVID-19. The reserve was combined with State resources for additional reach and impact. These programs are offered in collaboration with the K–12 instructional day and community partners. Funds are awarded through a request for application (RFA) process. For more information, please see the Expanded Learning Division Funding Opportunities web page.

Homeless Children and Youth

California has been allocated $98,709,231 for ESSER III ARP-HCY. These funds may be used in accordance with all allowable uses under the McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth, including:

• Providing wraparound services (which could be provided in collaboration with and/or through contracts with community-based organizations, and could include academic supports, trauma informed care, social-emotional support, and mental health services);
  
• Purchasing needed supplies (e.g., personal protective equipment [PPE], eyeglasses, school supplies, personal care items);
  
• Providing transportation to enable children and youth to attend classes and participate fully in school activities;
  
• Purchasing cell phones or other technological devices for unaccompanied youth to enable the youth to attend and fully participate in school activities;
  
• Providing access to reliable, high-speed internet for students through the purchase of internet connected devices/equipment, mobile hotspots, wireless service plans, or installation of Community Wi-Fi Hotspots (e.g., at homeless shelters), especially in underserved communities;
  
• Paying for short-term, temporary housing (e.g., a few days in a motel) when such emergency housing is the only reasonable option for COVID-safe temporary housing and when necessary to enable the homeless child or youth to attend school and participate fully in school activities (including summer school); and
  
• Providing store cards/prepaid debit cards to purchase materials necessary for students to participate in school activities.

More information can be found on the CDE Homeless Education web page or by contacting the CDE Homeless State Coordinators at HomelessED@cde.ca.gov.

EANS II

California has been allocated $181,312,003 for EANS II. Similar to the CRRSA Act, Congress reiterated the need for non-public schools to participate in emergency education relief programs by establishing a separate program, rather than relying on the equitable services requirements that typically apply to elementary and secondary formula grant programs.

Consequently, LEAs are not required to provide equitable services for funds received under the ARP Act, though equitable services requirements continue to apply to CARES Act programs.

For more information regarding EANS II, please see the CDE EANS Program web page.

Reporting

LEAs are required to report on any ARP Act funds that they receive. These funds must be tracked and reported separately from CARES Act and CRRSA Act funds. Please visit the CDE Federal Stimulus Funding web page for more detailed reporting requirements. Reporting timelines are available on the Federal Stimulus Reporting web page. For reporting on the use of ESSER III funds (Resource Codes 3213 and 3214), please use the Stimulus Funding Reporting Portal.

For reporting information regarding the In-Person Instruction (IPI) Grant or the ELO-G, please visit the COVID-19 Relief and School Reopening Grants web page. For reporting information regarding the ARP-HCY Fund, please visit the Homeless Education web page.

The federal requirements found in the ARP Act require that the ESSER III fund be subject to the Uniform Grants Guidance program management regulations Those regulations contain a requirement that capital expenditures greater than $5,000 have prior written approval. Please refer to the Federal Stimulus Funding web page Capital Expenditures section for more information and the Capital Expenditures Pre-Approval Application.

Interest Earned on ESSER III Fund: ESSER III Funds are subject to Title 2, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 200.305, which requires grantees and sub-grantees to remit interest earned on advances to the federal agency. Grantees or sub-grantees may retain interest amounts up to $500 per year for related administrative expenses. For more information, please refer to the CDE web page on Interest Earned on Federal Funds.

Quarterly Expenditure Reports

The ARP Act Quarterly Expenditure Report data is available in the spreadsheets below.

ARP Act ESSER III (3213), through 2024 Fall (March 13, 2020 – September 30, 2024) (XLSX)

ARP Act ESSER III (3214), through 2024 Fall (March 13, 2020 – September 30, 2024) (XLSX)

Liquidation Extension Request Application - Closed November 1, 2024

(UPDATE 11-Dec-2024): The application period for LEA Liquidation Extension Request Applications closed as of November 1, 2024.

Under standard grant timelines, ESSER III funds properly obligated within the period of performance must be liquidated within 120 calendar days following the obligation deadline (September 30, 2024). ED has released guidance that would allow States to submit applications on behalf of LEAs that are recipients of ARP Act funds to request an extension to the liquidation period for these obligated funds. LEAs may request liquidation extensions for the following fund sources: ESSER III (Resource Code 3213), the ESSER III (Resource Code 3214) set aside to address the academic impact of lost instructional time through the implementation of evidence-based interventions, ESSER III State Reserve – Emergency Needs (Resource Code 3218) partially funding the ELO-G, and the ESSER III State Reserve – Learning Loss (Resource Code 3219) also partially funding the ELO-G. If approved, individual obligations could be liquidated for up to 18 months following the obligation deadline (September 30, 2024). Please note that any approval applies to the liquidation deadline only, not the obligation deadline.

The intention of the liquidation extension application process is to allow LEAs additional time to liquidate properly obligated funds in response to unexpected delays, or for services identified as necessary to maximize the impact of ESSER III funds on student success. Please note that the application must be reviewed and approved by both the CDE and ED, and approval is not guaranteed. ED has stated that simply needing more time is not a sufficient justification for a liquidation extension. In addition to the application, the LEA will be required to provide supplemental documentation to demonstrate that an obligation was properly made and to support the circumstances that have caused the delay. Supplemental documentation is also required to explain why services are identified as necessary to maximize the impact of ESSER III funds on student success. Applications submitted without supporting documentation demonstrating that a timely and valid obligation occurred will not be considered for review. If approved, the LEA will be subject to additional monitoring and reporting requirements to ensure that all requirements of these funds and the extended liquidation period are met.

Please note that an application may only pertain to ONE project. To align with ED’s submission requirements, LEAs that have multiple projects for which they need to apply for liquidation extensions must submit a separate application for each project.

If an application is not approved, the LEA is required to liquidate all properly obligated funds within the standard liquidation period. If this is not possible, the LEA may be required to transfer all associated expenditures to a different, allowable fund source. To ensure allocability, projects in their entirety may need to be transferred, not just the portion of expenditures that cannot be completed within the standard grant timeline.

The completed application and supplemental documentation must be submitted via email to the CDE Federal Stimulus Team at EDReliefFunds@cde.ca.gov. Applications were due by November 1, 2024. Applications submitted after November 1, 2024, will not be considered for liquidation extension and the LEA may be required to identify an alternative funding source for the expenditures.

ESSER III Plans

The ARP Act requires LEAs that receive ESSER III funds to complete a Safe Return to In-person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan and an ESSER III Expenditure Plan. ED has issued requirements for these plans.

UPDATE (20-Dec-2022): In discussions with the ED Office of Inspector General (ED-OIG), it has been stressed that future federal oversight will monitor the review and any needed revisions of these plans. The Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan must be reviewed, at minimum, every six months and revised as necessary, as required by ED in the ARP Act Interim Final Rule . The ESSER III Expenditure Plan is considered a living document and is recommended to be reviewed and revised as LEA spending needs change in response to changing pandemic conditions. The ESSER III Expenditure Plan may be reviewed during monitoring or audits for how closely the plan reflects actual LEA expenditures of ESSER III funds.

Additionally, LEAs must be able to show how meaningful feedback from specified community partners and public input went into the development, review, and revisions (as applicable) of these plans.

Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan

UPDATE (6-Dec-2021): Please find the Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan at the link below. It is expected that LEAs will provide high-level responses of approximately a couple of paragraphs to each of the questions listed in the template. All completed plan templates must be submitted within 30 days of completing ESSER III assurances. Submission and any questions regarding the template should be submitted to EmergencyServices@cde.ca.gov. Submission of this template is only required once. Any revisions to the plan must be publicly posted on the LEA’s website, but are not required to be submitted to CDE or use CDE’s template. More information about plan revisions is available below.

ESSER III Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan Template (PDF)

An LEA’s plan must describe:

1. How the LEA will maintain the health and safety of students, educators, and other staff and the extent to which it has adopted policies, and a description of any such policies, on each of the following safety recommendations established by the CDC:
   • Universal and correct wearing of masks.
   • Modifying facilities to allow for physical distancing (e.g., use of cohorts/ podding).
   • Handwashing and respiratory etiquette.
   • Cleaning and maintaining healthy facilities, including improving ventilation.
   • Contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine, in collaboration with the State, local, territorial, or Tribal health departments.
   • Diagnostic and screening testing.
   • Efforts to provide vaccinations to school communities.
   • Appropriate accommodations for children with disabilities with respect to health and safety policies.
   • Coordination with State and local health officials.
2. How the LEA will ensure continuity of services, including but not limited to services to address students’ academic needs and students’ and staff social, emotional, mental health, and other needs, which may include student health and food services.
3. A description of the LEA’s policy or practice that provided the public with an opportunity to provide comment and feedback and how such feedback was incorporated into the development of the plan.
4. Various assurances and contact information.

Plan Revisions: Until September 30, 2023, LEAs must regularly, but no less frequently than every six months (taking into consideration the timing of significant changes to CDC guidance on reopening schools), review and, as appropriate, revise its plan for the safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services. LEAs must seek public input and take such input into account both when making revisions and when determining if revisions are necessary. Any revisions must address an LEA’s policies for each CDC updated safety recommendation. After the initial submission, revised plans do not need to be resubmitted in the template provided above, but revised plans (in a format that suits the LEA’s needs) must be publicly posted on the LEA’s website.

Template Instructions: If an LEA developed a plan, such as the COVID-19 Safety Plan required by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Guidance and Assembly Bill 86, prior to March 11, 2021, that addresses the safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services, and that included public comment and took such comments into account in the development of the plan, but that does not contain policies adopted to address the recommendations established by the CDC, the LEA may continue to use that plan but must revise and post the revised plan within six months of completing ESSER III assurances. The revised plan must address the recommendations established by the CDC. The LEA must still attest to having a prior plan and complete the relevant sections of the CDE provided template which can be found in the link above and submit the template to EmergencyServices@cde.ca.gov within 30 days of completing ESSER III Assurances. LEAs should follow the Plan Revisions guidance above when reviewing and updating plans as appropriate every six months as required.

LEAs that adopted a COVID-19 Safety Plan after March 11, should review that plan and ensure it complies with the requirements noted above and revise or adopt a new plan as appropriate within 30 days of completing the ESSER III Assurances using the CDE provided template above and submit to EmergencyServices@cde.ca.gov. Then, the LEA should review, and as appropriate, revise, that plan in a format that suits the LEA’s needs within six months, following the Plan Revisions guidance above.

LEAs that did not adopt a COVID-19 Safety Plan during the 2020–21 school year, must adopt a Safe Reopening and Continuity of Services Plan using the CDE provided template within 30 days of completing the ESSER III Assurances and submit to EmergencyServices@cde.ca.gov. This plan must be reviewed again, and as appropriate, revised, within six months of adoption in a format that suits the LEA’s needs, following the Plan Revisions guidance above.

Expenditure Plan

UPDATE (14-Jul-2021): The deadline for the ESSER III Expenditure Plan has been extended to October 29, 2021.

UPDATE (30-Jun-2021): The ESSER III Expenditure Plan template and instructions are available at the link below. For assistance related to the ESSER III Expenditure Plan template and instructions please contact LCFF@cde.ca.gov. For all other questions related to ESSER III please contact EDReliefFunds@cde.ca.gov.

ESSER III Expenditure Plan Template and Instructions (DOCX; Posted 30-Jun-2021)

LEAs that receive ESSER III funds are required to develop a plan for how they will use ESSER III funds to, at a minimum, address students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs, as well as the opportunity gaps that existed before, and were exacerbated by, the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan is required to address the following:

1. The extent to which and how the funds will be used to implement prevention and mitigation strategies that are, to the greatest extent practicable, consistent with the most recent CDC guidance on reopening schools, in order to continuously and safely open and operate schools for in-person learning.
2. How the LEA will use the minimum of 20% of funds it reserves for learning loss to address the academic impact of lost instructional time through the implementation of evidence-based interventions, such as summer learning or summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive afterschool programs, or extended school year programs.
3. How the LEA will spend its remaining ESSER III funds consistent with the allowable uses.
4. How the LEA will ensure that the interventions it implements, including but not limited to the interventions to address learning loss, will respond to the academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of all students, and particularly those students disproportionately impacted by the COVID–19 pandemic, including students from low-income families, students of color, English learners, children with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, and migratory students.

In developing their plan, LEAs must engage in meaningful consultation with specified stakeholders, including: students; families; school and district administrators (including special education administrators); and teachers, principals, school leaders, other educators, school staff, and their unions. In addition, LEAs must also engage in meaningful consultation, to the extent they are present or served by the LEA, with: Tribes; civil rights organizations (including disability rights organizations); and stakeholders representing the interests of children with disabilities, English learners, children experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, migratory students, children who are incarcerated, and other underserved students. Finally, LEAs must provide the opportunity to provide public input and take such input into account.

The plan must be adopted by the local governing board or body of the LEA at a public meeting on or before October 29, 2021 and must be submitted for review and approval within five days of adoption. A school district must submit its ESSER III Expenditure Plan to its County Office of Education (COE) for review and approval. A COE must submit its plan to the CDE for review and approval via email at LCAPreview@cde.ca.gov. A charter school must submit its plan to its chartering authority for review, and to the COE of the county in which the charter school operates for review and approval.

For additional information please refer to the instructions and template for the ESSER III Expenditure Plan.

LEA ESSER III Plan Links

The LEA-reported links to each LEA’s publicly available Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan and ESSER III Expenditure Plan are available in the spreadsheet below.

ESSER III Plan Links (XLSX; Updated 02-May-2023)

Maintenance of Equity

Section 2004 of the ARP Act includes Maintenance of Equity (MOEquity) provisions that are a condition for an SEA and LEA to receive ESSER III funds. Under section 2004(b) of the ARP Act, the MOEquity provisions ensure that an SEA does not disproportionately reduce State funding in FYs 2021–22 and 2022–23 when compared to baseline data. Similarly, under section 2004(c) of the ARP Act, the MOEquity provisions ensure that each LEA safeguards its high-poverty schools from disproportionate reductions to funding and staffing in FYs 2021–22 and 2022–23.

SEA MOEquity

Under section 2004(b) of the ARP Act, as a condition of receiving ESSER III funds, an SEA may not, in each of FY 2021–22 or 2022–23:

• Reduce the per-pupil amount of State funding for any high-need LEA (see Question 10 in ED FAQs, linked below) by an amount that exceeds the overall per-pupil reduction in State funding, if any, across all LEAs in the State compared to baseline data.
• Reduce the per-pupil amount of State funding for any highest-poverty LEA (see Question 11 in ED FAQs, linked below) below the per-pupil amount the SEA provided to such LEA in FY 2018–19.

California’s MOEquity data submission is available through ED’s Maintenance of Equity web page (Link to this webpage is invalid and has been removed)

More information about these requirements can be found in ED’s Maintenance of Equity Requirements FAQs (PDF; Posted 26-Jul-2022).

LEA MOEquity

Under section 2004(c) of the ARP Act, as a condition of receiving ESSER III funds, an LEA may not, in FY 2021–22 or 2022–23:

• Reduce combined State and local per-pupil funding for any high-poverty school (see Question 23 in ED FAQs, linked below) by an amount that exceeds the total reduction, if any, of combined State and local per-pupil funding for all schools in the LEA compared to baseline data.
• Reduce the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff per-pupil in any high-poverty school by an amount that exceeds the total reduction, if any, of FTE staff per-pupil in all schools in the LEA compared to baseline data.

For a timeline of LEA MOEquity reporting requirements to the CDE, please see the CDE Federal Stimulus Reporting web page. For more information about how to complete the required reports, please see the CDE Federal Stimulus Quarterly Reporting Help Page.

Additional information about LEA MOEquity requirements can be found on the CDE ESSER III Fund Frequently Asked Questions web page.

Exceptions

On October 12, 2021, ED released additional guidance detailing the LEA Local Maintenance of Equity Exception Process for FY 2021–22 (PDF). Per updated guidance in ED Maintenance of Equity Requirements FAQs (PDF; Posted 26-Jul-2022) the exception guidance additionally applies to FY 2022–23.

An LEA may request an exception under at least one of the following circumstances:

State Plan

Below is the version of California’s ARP ESSER State Plan that was approved by the California State Board of Education on July 14, 2021, and submitted to ED on July 29, 2021.

ARP ESSER State Plan (DOCX; Posted 12-Aug-2021)

Below is the revised version of California’s ARP ESSER State Plan submitted to ED on September 24, 2021.

Revised ARP ESSER State Plan (DOCX; Posted 28-Sep-2021)

Below is the final version of California's ARP ESSER State Plan, which was approved by ED on November 4, 2021.

Final ARP ESSER State Plan (PDF; Added 04-Nov-2021)

ED Approval Letter (PDF; Added 04-Nov-2021)

Required Data Posting

Under the ARP Act, the CDE must make publicly available student enrollment data and, to the extent available, student attendance data for all students and disaggregated by students from low-income families, students from each racial and ethnic group, gender, English learners, children with disabilities, children experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, and migratory students for each mode of instruction.

The information can be found here: Appendix A Data (DOCX; Posted 21-Jun-2021)

FAQs

ESSER III Fund FAQs

ESSER III Expenditure Plan FAQs (Added 16-Aug-2021)

ED ESSER and GEER FAQs (PDF; Added 27-May-2021)

ED Updated ESSER and GEER Use of Funds FAQs (PDF; Added 20-Dec-2022)

ED Maintenance of Equity FAQs (DOCX; Added 09-Jun-2021)

ED Updated Maintenance of Equity FAQs (PDF; Posted 26-Jul-2022)

Other Information

ARP Act Text (PDF)

ARP ESSER (ESSER III) Fact Sheet (PDF)

ARP ESSER Interim Final Rule

ESSER III Allocation Methodology and Table (PDF; Updated 25-Jun-2021)