Skip To Main Content

ESSER (Covid) Funding Information

South Milwaukee has used its ESSER funds over the course of the past several years to address concerns related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Much of the funds were used in the same/similar vein to what was addressed in the referendum - for staff retention, career exploration, safety, and technology.

History

Between March of 2020 and 2021 Congress passed three stimulus bills which provided additional funding to schools in Wisconsin. The first bill, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act became law in March of 2020. This law provided schools with the Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ESSER I) and Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Funds (GEERF).

The second stimulus bill was the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSSAA) which became law in December of 2020. This provided schools with ESSER II. The final package was the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) which became law in March 2021, which included ESSER III and other grants which South Milwaukee did not receive. All told, the four Stimulus grants were ESSERs I, II, III and GEERF - all four of which had different spending timeframes and parameters, but in sum were to be used to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The final grant, ESSER III, ends at the end of September 2024. Since this is at the very beginning of the 24-25 school year, the vast majority of the funds will be fully claimed at the end of the 23-24 school year.

Oversight and Reporting

The ESSER and GEERF funds were all subject to the same reporting procedures that comes with grants administered by the Department of Instruction. South Milwaukee submitted budgets to DPI, they were then reviewed / approved, and then the district would spend the dollars accordingly.

After the funds were spent, the district would put in a grant claim against the budget, which DPI would again review before reimbursing the district.

All that to say, South Milwaukee never received these payments up front - they came on a reimbursement basis as reviewed by DPI. Additionally, all funds were subject to the district’s annual financial audit - during which times auditors requested invoices and reports regarding these grants to ensure proper compliance.

The School District of South Milwaukee has not received any audit findings or reports of compliance issues throughout the entire grant periods related to the use of these stimulus funds.

Watch: June 12 2024 Board Meeting with ESSER Presentation

Eseer board presentation

(Skip to time stamp 1:50 mins)

esser image