ESSER III Grant Application and Budget Now Open and Quarterly Claims Reminder

ESSER III Grant Application and Budget Now Open

Dear District Administrators,

On December 6, The U.S. Department of Education approved 95 percent of Wisconsin’s plan for Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief III (ESSER III) funds. A total of 90 percent of those funds are allocated to Wisconsin LEAs. ESSER III provides additional funds for local educational agencies (LEAs) to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19. ESSER III includes dedicated funding for evidence-based improvement strategies (EBIS) and ensures those strategies or interventions respond to the social, emotional, mental health, and academic supports students need and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on underrepresented student subgroups.

The ESSER III grant application and budget are now open in WISEgrants for LEAs to complete. The ESSER III application includes the Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan, the ESSER III LEA Plan, EBIS selection, and the ESSER III budget with at least 20 percent of funds reserved for EBIS. LEAs have 90 days to submit their initial ESSER III application as required by the U.S. Department of Education. ESSER III initial application and budget submissions are due to DPI by March 11, 2022.

More information including the ESSER III Start Guide and ESSER III application walkthrough video are available on the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s ESSER III page.

If you have questions about your LEA’s ESSER III application and budget, please contact essergrants@dpi.wi.gov.

If you have specific questions about the 20 percent to be reserved for evidence-based improvement strategies, please contact EBISsupport@dpi.wi.gov or schedule a phone call at this link.

Quarterly Claims on Stimulus Grants

This is a reminder that the federal stimulus grant programs - ESSER I, II, III, and GEER - require quarterly claims. Claims for the period ending September 30, 2021 - Q1 of FY2022 - are due to DPI on or before December 31, 2021. This requirement is necessary for reporting to the U.S. Department of Education on the use of federal stimulus funds. Please review the Required Quarterly Claiming - Stimulus Grants document (downloads PDF) for details on the quarterly claiming requirement for federal stimulus funds.

If you have any questions about this requirement, please contact essergrants@dpi.wi.gov.