Using COVID-Relief Funds Wisely in K-12 Schools
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As the 2021-2022 school year approaches, school district leaders are grappling with an unusual challenge: how to wisely and strategically allocate federal COVID-relief funds. As the pandemic killed hundreds of thousands in the United States, it also inflicted massive academic, social, and emotional consequences on students, educators, and their families.
While the term “learning loss” has become controversial in some circles, early research suggests that students’ academic gains were not on par with those from school years unaffected by the pandemic. According to one assessment vendor, students were six percentile rank points below their expected performance in math and two percentile rank points below the predicted level in reading. At first glance, these numbers may not seem statistically significant. But a student’s learning trajectory often stays on the same course without intervention. This means that a generation of students may be on track to underperform previous student groups. For this reason, using COVID-relief funds to accelerate learning, especially for those who struggled the most with remote and hybrid learning, is essential.
In addition to academic challenges, many students also suffered emotionally as a result of the pandemic. Even before COVID-19, “anxiety disorders in children and teens were up 20%.” More research is needed, but we can safely assume that the massive disruptions to daily life and social interactions over the last several months only exacerbated these problems. Of course, students were not the only ones affected. Educators were thrust into incredibly difficult situations, from converting their curriculum and instruction into virtual experiences to simultaneously facilitating in-person and online lessons. Accordingly, addressing the latent and lingering effects of so much extreme stress over such a sustained period of time is another wise use of COVID-relief funds.
And, finally, the pandemic highlighted, and in some cases revealed, shortcomings in the safety of the buildings our students attend. Schools have and continue to evaluate the air quality of their facilities and hygiene practices implemented to promote healthy learning environments. That’s why COVID-relief funds can be used to improve heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.
If the needs are clear, why is allocating these funds so challenging? Why are school leaders, especially superintendents and boards, finding the infusion of so much federal money to be a source of both excitement and stress?
Challenges, Risks, and Guiding Questions
To swiftly address the negative impacts of COVID-19, the federal government has asked state education agencies to deliver federal funds to schools as quickly as possible. To meet this expectation and to ensure that there’s a record of how money will be spent, states are asking schools to complete non-competitive grant applications to access the funds. These applications, of course, must include budgets outlining how every dollar will be spent.
The problem is that school leaders have never had to plan how to use so much money in so little time. Many districts are receiving hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in addition to their standard budget, and this money must be spent by September 2024. In other words, school leaders are being asked to convene stakeholder groups, develop a plan for using these funds, and submit their plans to the state in record time. And the money will only last for three years.
With such a rushed process, the opportunity to strategically plan with local, state, and even national stakeholders and experts is significantly diminished. Expedited commitments may lead to diminished results.
Imagine for a moment that you’re a school leader who wants to use COVID-relief funding to (a) accelerate student learning, (b) empower and support educators, (c) ensure that facilities are safe for in-person instruction, and (d) sustain initiatives beyond the three years supported by this set of Congressional allocations. You’re committed to being a good steward of these public dollars, and you’re hyper-focused on making decisions that are specific to your learning community - your students, your staff, and your families. How much time and support would you need to answer the following questions?
Which student groups were most impacted by COVID-19, and what can our district do to accelerate their learning?
How can our district identify students and staff who need emotional and mental health supports, and what resources can be leveraged to promote well-being?
What technology investments and corresponding professional development would promote improved learning experiences?
What gaps in curriculum and instruction were revealed or highlighted by the pandemic, and how can they be addressed?
How can these funds be used to become a more innovative learning community, and what can we learn from other districts?
What funding strategies and priorities can be leveraged to ensure that initiatives started with COVID-relief funds do not wither and disappear after funds run out?
The questions above are not exhaustive, but they are representative of the complex decisions school leaders are facing. Again, in record time.
Valuing Patience, Flexibility, Collaboration and Strategic Thinking
Let’s continue to imagine that you’re the school district leader mentioned above. What would you wish for to ensure that you and your team made the best decisions possible? In other words, what might help you navigate the challenges and risks that this unique opportunity presents?
Patience
The first thing that you might ask for is patience. Your inbox is probably flooded with vendors hoping to get a slice of the pie and other stakeholder groups advocating for their priorities. Having the time to consider and discuss these requests with colleagues takes time, and you want to make sure that you’re not committing funds hastily.
Flexibility
You might also want your district to have the flexibility to change its mind about the budget allocations it was asked to submit in the summer of 2021 in preparation for spending through September 2024. A lot can happen over the course of three school years, and it’s important for states to allow schools to consistently evaluate the effectiveness of their programs and course correct as needed.
Collaboration and Strategic Thinking
While you’re a leader, you don’t think that means you should make every decision unilaterally, so you’ll want to collaborate with local stakeholders, other districts, and perhaps outside experts on various topics. After all, great ideas often evolve by building on what others have done. Efficiencies can be built into processes, too. For example, if you and other nearby districts are thinking about hiring additional social workers to support student and staff social-emotional health, maybe you can write the job description together, facilitate shared professional development experiences, and promote the sharing of resources and tools.
And you’ll want to value strategic, sustainable thinking, not just the demands of the present. This unprecedented amount of funding is coming suddenly, and it will be gone relatively soon. It’s important to sprint toward the achievement of short-term goals, especially related to student learning, without sacrificing the long-term fiscal health of the district through overcommitments or poor planning.
Seizing the Moment and Optimizing for the Future
Perhaps the word unprecedented has become overused to describe anything and everything related to COVID-19. But the fact is that K-12 schools are receiving $189.5 billion! The thoughtfulness, planning, and implementation of projects associated with these funds must be commensurate with the needs of the moment as well as the promise of lasting improvements to our public schools.
