INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) today launched a statewide COVID-19 relief school spending dashboard. The dashboard reflects COVID-19 federal relief grant fund reimbursements as part of schools’ locally-developed spending plans, which are focused on improving student learning.
“Empowered by historic levels of state and federal education funding, schools have an unparalleled opportunity to improve students’ educational outcomes with these dollars,” said Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education. “To most impactfully invest these funds, we must focus on accelerating student learning, supporting educators, promoting sustainable innovation, and updating technology and other infrastructure. We continue to support Indiana’s local schools to ensure this funding is ultimately driving improvements and progress that positively impacts students.”
The dashboard reflects school grant allocations and reimbursements from the three rounds of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding, as well as competitive grants that were awarded to schools from federal Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funding. ESSER funding is proportionally allocated to local school districts based on the federal Title I formula. Reimbursements are made to local districts once they spend the funds on approved expenses as part of their locally-developed plans.
Across Indiana, $2.8 billion in federal funding has been allocated to local school districts. Currently, more than $550 million in expenditures have been reimbursed — with school districts continuing to submit for reimbursements on allowable expenses per federal law. School corporations have through September 2022 to encumber the first round of ESSER funding and through September 2023 and September 2024, respectively, to encumber the second and third rounds of their ESSER grants.
To date, these funds have commonly been used to strategically accelerate student learning, support educators, promote sustainable innovation and update technology and other infrastructure. School corporations have placed a focus on using the funds to help support student learning impacted by COVID-19-related learning disruptions. More information on allowable expenses is available here.
