"How School Districts Are Spending Pandemic Funding"

ESSER III, a $122 billion funding boost to the previous ESSER I and II allocations of $68 billion, has been used by school districts across the country for various critical needs. Baltimore City Superintendent Dr. Sonja Santelises highlighted how her district invested in infrastructure projects like building bathrooms, expanding summer programs, and providing tutoring sessions. Education experts praised the use of funds for summer programming and high-impact tutoring, which helped students academically recover from pandemic learning loss.

However, concerns remain about chronic absenteeism and potential permanent damage to students' academic progress if improvements stagnate. With the ESSER funding obligation deadline set for Sept. 30, school districts will need to rely on their typical annual federal funding, which averages about 10%, along with state and local support.

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