The expiration of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds presents yet another hurdle—or rather, a fiscal cliff—that districts must cross as they still try to recover from the challenges posed by the pandemic. Funding provided by ESSER—the largest one-time federal relief grant to districts across the country—has addressed pandemic-related needs and stimulated learning recovery. But these emergency relief funds sunset in September 2024, so what will happen to the districts that invested dollars in recurring costs? And what about those that have embedded ESSER dollars so deep within their general funds that they risk succumbing to budgetary shortfalls?
- Publication date: October 2024
- Author: Isabel Mu