The era of federal COVID-19 relief dollars is ending. At Tuesday's school board meeting, Metro Nashville Public Schools shared how the district used that money to support student safety and academics since the start of the pandemic.
To address the fiscal cliff, the school district needs $77 million in ‘bridge funding’
Since 2020, there have been three nationwide Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding waves meant for disease prevention, staff support, infrastructure enhancements and academic recovery. By Sept. 30, all ESSER dollars have to be spent, obligated or prepared for liquidated extension. While some school districts haven’t used all their available ESSER money, MNPS’ chief strategy officer Sarah Robinson Chin told the school board Tuesday, “We're not leaving any money on the table.”
ESSER funding came in three parts — though technically, Tennessee school districts had to spend the money and then apply for reimbursement. The first ESSER grant provided Davidson County with $26 million, the second provided $123 million, and the third provided $276 million — though $62.2 million of that total went to charter schools and another $3.3 million was dispersed to both charter and private schools.
The initial wave of ESSER funding was mainly used to support the transition from in-person to virtual learning in 2020, from providing students with internet hotspots and technology to to purchasing new instruction materials, securing personal protection equipment like masks, distributing food and more. As students returned to the classroom, the funds continued to secure PPE and were also used to improve air quality, upgrade technology, and enhance academic and mental support.
Further improvements to ventilation in Metro schools could help prevent the spread of COVID-19
Through ESSER, Metro schools were able to accomplish lasting changes. The money was used to help MNPS facilitate its transition of fifth grade back into elementary schools. It also helped put nurses in every school building and brought on more mental health counselors, restorative practice assistants and social workers. Peace and advocacy centers were established to help students work through behavioral issues. ESSER also helped facilitate MNPS’ summer school, tutoring and literacy programs, while teachers received professional development and more endorsements to teach English learners. Through the last round of ESSER funding, each MNPS school got at least $75,000 — plus $450 for each economically disadvantaged student — to spend as needed. (To see a breakdown of how and where MNPS’ latest ESSER grant was spent, see the district’s related webpage.)
MNPS’ ESSER investments have proven worthwhile. Earlier this year, MNPS was recognized in a collaborative report from the Education Opportunity Project at Stanford University, the Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis and Harvard University’s Center for Education Policy Research. The report, called the Education Recovery Scorecard, sought to identify and compare how students from school districts across the country were impacted by the pandemic and what their recovery has since looked like. In the top 100 school districts, MNPS ranked third for math growth and sixth for reading growth in the 2022-23 school year. It was also identified as one of two large urban school districts that ranked in the top 10 for both reading and math. While the achievement is certainly worth celebrating, and MNPS’ students have continued to grow academically since the 2022-23 school year, its students still have a long way to go. This year’s TCAP results show that the majority of MNPS students didn’t reach proficiency as defined by the state in each subject category, and significant achievement gaps among students of color, English learners and economically disadvantaged students remain.
Another aspect to be wary of as ESSER ends is the “fiscal cliff” it creates for school districts. As the funding dries up, districts have to find new ways to supplement those dollars or drop the initiatives they were funding, which could result in reduced services or staff layoffs. While MNPS didn’t have to do that this year due to the Metro Council’s continued investments in the district, how it will sustain those costs in ongoing years remains to be seen.
