On December 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA) was signed into law. As a result, the U.S. Department of Education is providing an additional $54.3 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER II Fund). These funds will be given to state educational agencies (SEAs) like SC Department of Education for the purpose of providing local school districts with emergency relief funds to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools across the nation.
CFEC in collaboration with the SC-School Improvement Council and invaluable input from Terry Peterson developed an outline for a virtual SIC town hall with an accompanying user guide to discuss ESSER II funding. This is a critical time to gather ideas from key stakeholders (e.g., students, parents, teachers, school administrators, business leaders, higher education institutions) to identify what they would recommend to recover from the learning losses and disruptions from the pandemic. Through grassroots mobilization we want to empower School Improvement Councils to convene virtual gathers of their communities’ stakeholders to come up with recommendations to share with their school board. Please find below customizable guides to facilitate discussions with your school community.