Attendance Hotline
Call or Text: 520-497-9592
ESSER III
Welcome
The federal government has made a historic investment in K-12 education. Arizona will see over four billion dollars in relief and recovery funds for use through September 2024. This funding comes from three separate pieces of pandemic relief and recovery legislation under a single program called the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, or “ESSER.”
As the State Education Agency (SEA), the Arizona Department of Education is designated by the federal government to distribute the funds under rules and regulations embedded in the law under which the appropriations are made.
For more information on all three ESSER grants please go to:
https://www.azed.gov/covid-19/esser-roadmap
​
Las Puertas is seeking your assistance re: ESSER III funding
Your input regarding the expenditure of these funds is crucial to the development of our application to Arizona Department of Education and the implementation of Las Puertas’ ESSER III project. After reviewing the proposed ESSER III project, please complete the Public Reply for ESSER III funds following the proposal below.
​
Please also join us on Wednesday, September 1st as we discuss the proposal in an open forum at Las Puertas Community School located at: 100 W. 37th Street, Tucson, Arizona 85713.
We will meet from 4:30 -5:30PM.
​
Thank you
ESSER III
The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) has received funding through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act to provide new Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) Fund grants to LEAs to support local recovery needs and efforts in response to COVID-19.
ESSER III includes new required set asides for both ADE and LEAs. These will help guide state and local decision making for leveraging these new funds to accelerate and enrich learning and increase learning opportunities – particularly for our most vulnerable student populations
ALLOCATIONS
Ninety percent of Arizona’s total $2.5 billion ESSER III Fund award is required to be allocated to LEAs based on the proportionate share of Title I-A funds they received in SY20-21, totaling $2,323,888,827.30.
Additional funds were provided using ADE’s SEA Discretionary Activities Reserve to ensure all non-profit Non-Title I-A LEAs and CTED Entities receive an award of $570 per pupil, and to ensure all Title I-A LEAs receive an award of at least $570 per pupil. In total, $2,372,250,366.22 has been allocated to LEAs through ESSER III.
HOW IS ESSER III DIFFERENT FROM ESSER I AND ESSER II?
ESSER III differs from the first two ESSER awards. It contains new requirements for LEAs. These include:
-
New 20% required set aside to address learning loss using evidence-based academic, social and emotional learning strategies for vulnerable populations of students
-
ESSER III LEA plan requirements, to include engaging in meaningful consultation with stakeholders in the development of the plan
-
Safe return to in-person instruction plan
-
Local maintenance of equity requirements
WHAT SHOULD ESSER III FUNDS BE USED FOR?
• ESSER III – just like ESSER I & II funds - are highly flexible, and are designed to help address local recovery efforts relative to responding to COVID-19. ESSER III Funds can be used throughout the LEA, in all schools and in support of all students and staff.
LAS PUERTAS COMMUNITY SCHOOL PROPOSED ESSER III PROJECT
The students, families and staff of Las Puertas Community School have survived the many challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic dropped into our world. The impact of the events of the past 18 months is huge for our families. It is our goal to create opportunities for success that will mitigate the negative effects and, through effective and evidenced-based use of the ESSER III funds boost our students, their families and our staff ahead so that the losses they endured are minimized as much as possible.
​
Our project is multifaceted. The following are descriptions of how we proposed to utilize these funds to benefit your child, your family and the school. We propose the following:
​
-
A Learning Center will be established which will house a library and a student lounge. The goal is to establish a well-stocked library with the variety of resources which includes textbooks, reference books, non-fiction and fiction books as well as periodicals which include educational, recreational and fun articles, digital resources, computers for researching, and a safe and comfortable environment in which to learn. The Learning Center will be open during the afterschool program for students and families.
-
An afterschool program which includes tutoring as well other SEL (Social & Emotional Learning) activities such as a Leadership Club and a league co-ed basketball team. Crucial to having an afterschool program is having transportation. Many of our families are unable to transport their children so an afterschool program has not been possible in the past. Currently Las Puertas provides transportation to and from school in a 16 passenger bus. With social distancing, we need to take two runs in order to transport the children. Part of this grant would be used to purchase a 38-45 passenger bus morning and afternoon runs which would free up the smaller bus for the afterschool program. An additional part-time bus driver will also be hired.
-
An important component of the Learning Center and the afterschool program is tutoring. Tutors will need to be hired for both programs.
-
A new, proven air-filtration system will be installed, including the highest quality air filters.
-
A Facility Deep Clean and Floor Work will be conducted twice per year to completely sanitize the school facility. This includes cleaning walls, carpeting, etc.
-
Various other services/items will be obtained in order to follow our plan for social distancing; providing both professional development and personal support to staff; and support for families, including an increase in social work counseling hours; and renewal of evidenced based academic curriculum.
Please complete the following Public Reply for ESSER III Funds.
(Here is the link for the Google form)
Thank you for your time and input. We value what you think! Don’t forget to join us on Wednesday September 1st from 4:30 to 5:30 P.M. for our discussion about the ESSER III funding and our proposal! Hope to see you there!