Districts and charters have until Sept. 30, 2024 to spend more than half a billion dollars that was provided for COVID-19 pandemic relief.
Delaware received $637,239,246 in the $122 billion federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, or ESSER Funds.
Distributed in three separate rounds, ESSER Funds which were allocated across three separate rounds and part of the American Rescue Plan Act, better known as ARPA.
The first round of funds were distributed in March 2020 as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES Act, and Delaware received $43,492,752.
The second round of funding — part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations, or CRRSA Act — was allocated in December 2020, with Delaware receiving $182,885,104.
In March 2021, the third round gave Delaware $410,733,965.
Data on how much each district and charter received as well as how they divided the funds and how much money they have remaining, can be found in a portal on the Department of Education’s online ESSER Financial Transparency Report.
SPENDING THIS TIME LAST YEAR: Here’s how $600M in COVID education money was spent
Laurisa Schutt, executive director of advocacy group First State Educate, critiqued the fact that it takes half a dozen clicks on the department’s website and some practice using the portal for the public to be able to get to the information on how schools spent the enormous amount of money.
Schools divide the funds into a plethora of categories, such as learning loss, technology, mental health, facility repairs, air quality, equitable services, summer learning, sanitation, professional development and more.
The Delaware Department of Education and state schools are waiting for word about whether the federal debt deal will affect them. One part of the agreement requires the country clawing back about $30 billion in unspent money from a COVID relief bill signed by Biden. It’s unclear if that includes education money, said a DOE spokeswoman.
Here’s the percentage districts and charters spent of their total pandemic relief allocation, as well as the money they have left to spend:
Districts
Appoquinimink: 91% of $13,275,882.90 spent; $1,145,525.13 remaining. Largest expenditures were $4.9 million on learning loss and $3.2 million on educational technology.
Polytech: 77% of $2,609,745 spent; $600,890 remaining. Largest expenditures were $877,000 on educational technology and $519,000 on learning loss.
Red Clay: 76% of $73,335,803.40 spent; $17,298,789.10 remaining. Largest expenditures were $22.9 million on learning loss and $9.9 million on air quality.
Sussex Tech: 75% of $2,948,147.66 spent; $729,081.02 remaining. Largest expenditures were $730,000 on learning loss and $357,000 on summer learning.
Christina: 70% of $83,645,326.10 spent; $24,973,828.91 remaining. Largest expenditures were $23 million in air quality and $16.8 million on learning loss.
Caesar Rodney: 68% of $29,256,543 spent; $9,444,662.62 remaining. Largest expenditures were $5.3 million on other activities and $4.1 million on learning loss.
Brandywine: 64% of $39,673,341.60 spent; $14,308,039 remaining. Largest expenditures were $6.5 million on learning loss and $4.6 million on other activities.
Indian River: 63% of $46,111,435.10 spent; $17,263,360.78 remaining. Largest expenditures were $8.5 million on learning loss and $4.4 million on educational technology.
Cape Henlopen: 63% of $18,165,324.60 spent; $6,637,745.95 remaining. Largest expenditures were $3.7 million on educational technology and $3.2 million on other activities.
Laurel: 59% of $13,290,203 spent; $5,438,047.02 remaining. Largest expenditures were $2.3 million on other activities and $1.3 million on educational technology.
Smryna: 59% of $12,266,142 spent; $5,058,282.07 remaining. Largest expenditures were $1.6 million on learning loss and $1.6 million on educational technology.
Woodbridge: 55% of $17,350,012 spent; $7,828,021.66 remaining. Largest expenditures were $2.8 million on air quality and $2.6 million on educational technology.
Milford: 51% of $20,429,723 spent; $10,065,995.28 remaining. Largest expenditures were $2.6 million on facility repairs and $2 million on learning loss.
Capital: 50% of $43,413,921.40 spent; $21,785,751.99 remaining. Largest expenditures were $9.3 million on learning loss and $2.9 million on educational technology.
Colonial: 46% of $48,720,464.10 spent; $26,374,337.44 remaining. Largest expenditures were $6.6 million on learning loss and $4.4 million on educational technology.
Lake Forest: 46% of $19,666,986 spent; $10,716,961.41 remaining. Largest expenditures were $1.9 million on educational technology and $1.9 million on learning loss.
Seaford: 44% of $24,980,099 spent; $14,102,943.64 remaining. Largest expenditures were $2.5 million on learning loss and $2.3 million on educational technology.
New Castle County Vo-Tech: 41% of $16,571,715 spent; $9,752,510.31 remaining. Largest expenditures were $4 million on facility repairs and $1.3 million on learning loss.
Delmar: 35% of $4,101,449 spent; $2,685,522.76 remaining. Largest expenditures were $445,000 on educational technology and $338,000 on learning loss.
Charters
Newark: 100% of $1,068,870 spent; $0 remaining. Largest expenditures were $181,000 for summer learning and $171,000 on unique needs.
Charter School of Wilmington: 99% of $182,599 spent; $1,262.25 remaining. Largest expenditures were $66,000 on other activities and $28,000 on air quality.
First State Montessori Academy: 97% of $749,324 spent; $19,569.97 remaining. Largest expenditures were $509,000 on learning loss and $87,000 on mental health.
Sussex Academy of Art of Arts and Sciences: 97% of $738,467 spent; $230,66.33 remaining. Largest expenditures were $226,000 on learning loss and $172,000 on air quality.
Providence Creek Academy: 96% of $1,310,656.53 spent; $55,937.50 remaining. Largest expenditures were $831,000 on learning loss and $93,000 on other activities.
Gateway Lab School: 92% of $932,153 spent; $73,563.74 remaining. Largest expenditures were $424,000 on unique needs and $256,000 on other activities.
First State Military Academy: 90% of $1,153,332 spent; $117,921.05 remaining. Largest expenditures were $237,000 on other activities and $225,000 on unique needs.
Campus Community School: 89% of $2,204,449 spent; $240,602.96 remaining. Largest expenditures were $587,000 on learning loss and $553,000 on coordinated response.
Great Oaks: 88% of $2,822,375 spent; $349,306.40 remaining. Largest expenditures were $711,000 on learning loss and $898,000 on other activities.
Academy of Dover: 84% of $2,441,154 spent; $379,964.4 remaining. Largest expenditures were $1.5 million for other activities and $943,000 on learning loss.
Delaware Military Academy: 84% of $223,372 spent; $35,403.4 remaining. Largest expenditures were $69,000 on public health protocols and $26,000 on learning loss.
Odyssey: 82% of $3,120,819.17 spent; $574,447.27 remaining. Largest expenditures were $826,000 on learning loss and $500,000 on educational technology.
MOT: 79% of $385,634 spent; $81,723.75 remaining. Largest expenditures were $122,000 on mental health and $34,000 on learning loss.
Positive Outcomes: 77% of $505,982 spent; $113,962.11 remaining. Largest expenditures were $143,000 on educational technology and $91,000 on mental health.
Las Americas ASPIRA: 71% of $3,152,341 spent; $901,866.74 remaining. Largest expenditures were $890,000 on unique needs and $540,000 on educational technology.
Early College High School at DSU: 70% of $2,043,737 spent; $606,545.45 remaining. Largest expenditures were $617,000 on learning loss and $425,000 on unique needs.
Academia Antonia Alonso: 69% of $4,224,405.32 spent; $1,301,282.25 remaining. Largest expenditures were $684,000 on other activities and $583,000 on facility repairs.
Sussex Montessori: 68% of $1,560,726 spent; $504,581.08 remaining. Largest expenditures were $590,000 on other activities and $218,000 on mental health.
Kuumba Academy: 63% of $6,025,075.65 spent; $2,204,344.55 remaining. Largest expenditures were $2 million on learning loss and $1.3 million on unique needs.
Charter School of New Castle: 60% of $4,775,470 spent; $1,890,754.88 remaining. Largest expenditures were $1.4 million on facility repairs and $439,000 on learning loss.
Freire: 56% of $2,866,407 spent; $1,267,657.85 remaining. Largest expenditures were $743,000 on other activities and $403,000 on learning loss.
EastSide: 43% of $4,457,49 spent; $2,554,232.11 remaining. Largest expenditures were $532,000 on mental health and $401,000 on learning loss.
Thomas Edison: 36% of $7,262,420 spent; $4,618,766.85 remaining. Largest expenditures were $681,000 on summer learning and $483,000 on educational technology.
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Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNN’s Michael Smerconish’s YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.
Jarek can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at (215) 450-9982. Follow him on Twitter @jarekrutz and on LinkedIn.
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