Additional ESSER III Funds

We know this is a very busy time of year for you, but we want to share details of timelines for additional ESSER III allocations based on the recently approved ESSER III State Plan.

• EBIS grants - LEAs with an ESSER III formula allocation that did not meet $578 per pupil will receive an additional grant of $578 per pupil (guaranteeing a minimum ESSER III allocation of $323,074 for LEAs with more than 25 total pupils and guaranteeing an allocation of $200,000 for LEAs with 25 [or less] total pupils). This grant is now open in WISEgrants. The additional $578 per pupil funds may only be spent on evidence-based improvement strategies. See the new “EBIS Grant Application Overview” panel on the ESSER III webpage for more information.
• Supplemental Funds - Some LEAs are eligible for a supplementary allocation (which will be added to their ESSER III formula grant) based on the number and percentage of in-person instruction hours offered in the 2020-21 school year. This grant is projected to open in WISEgrants by the end of August 2022. These funds may be spent on expenses to plan for, prepare for, or respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• LETRS grant: All LEAs and CESAs are eligible for a $4,000 grant for LETRS or an eligible alternative reading training. The LETRS grants are projected to be available in WISEgrants by the end of June 2022.

Eligible reading professional development opportunities are found here. These funds may only be used to pay a vendor registration fees from the list of eligible reading professional development opportunities. Each LEA and CESA has the authority to accept or reject these funds in WISEgrants. LEAs will have two weeks to accept or reject these funds. A non-response by the deadline will be interpreted as an initial rejection. WISEgrants will require you to answer whether your LEA/CESA would be interested in receiving additional funds for LETRS or eligible alternative reading training if more funds become available. DPI anticipates that there will be additional opportunities to accept funds for LETRS or an eligible alternative reading training. An LEA/CESA that rejects these funds, initially, may choose to accept the funds when they are next available. LEAs are encouraged to reach out to their local CESAs as CESA staff have done extensive research on the cost, time commitment, and content of the eligible alternatives for these grant funds.

See the updated spreadsheet posted at https://dpi.wi.gov/arp/esser-iii to see which additional allocations your LEA is eligible for along with the dollar amounts.

As with ESSER III formula funds, the time period for allowable expenditures is March 13, 2021 through September 30, 2024. If you wish to include costs from a previous fiscal year, be sure to work with your business official and auditor to ensure that the process for recording costs, submitting budgets, and making claims aligns with their financial requirements.

DPI staff will continue to do their best to review and approve budgets for all ESEA, IDEA, Carl Perkins, ESSER, GEER, and EANS funds in a timely manner with limited staff.

Please send general questions about ESSER funds to essergrants@dpi.wi.gov and questions specific to EBIS to ebis.support@dpi.wi.gov.

Thank you for all you continue to do to support each Wisconsin student.