ESSER III funding changes

Creating Change — McLean’s Model UN hosts its annual fall conference. ESSER III has provided McLean clubs with additional funding, including providing payment for club sponsors. (Photo courtesy of Emma Springer)

FUNDING FOR THE FUTURE

Changes to ESSER III grant bring new resources to McLean

Madeleine Stigall Managing editor

The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds (ESSER III) is a project that was formed to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on academics and to help safely reopen schools. ESSER III provided $188.8 million to FCPS schools last fall.

Recent changes to how schools can spend these funds are helping schools to use this money to provide students and staff with improved educational resources.

“The ESSER funding has many benefits for our students and staff,” said Assistant Director of Student Activities Jeremy Hays, who is in charge of club activities at McLean.

One benefit of the ESSER amendments McLean has seen is an increase in club funding, including the ability to pay club sponsors at an hourly rate for the time they spend working with their clubs.

“This [budget addition] has increased the amount of McLean staff willing to sponsor new clubs at the school,” Hays said. “We have had over 25 new clubs started at the school in the past year.”

The promise of compensation encouraged Model UN sponsor Annie Daggett to take on the responsibility of working with the club again this year. Running the group previously required countless unpaid hours organizing meetings and conferences and attending field trips.

“It’s nice to be compensated when I’m spending so much time going away for a weekend or spending my Fridays and Saturdays with this club,” Daggett said.

Many teachers devote time outside of their regular working hours, which can interfere with their personal lives.

“It’s so hard, especially for those teachers

that have kids or have another job outside of school,” Daggett said. “[Model UN] is my other job, but I could see for a lot of teachers that if they didn’t get compensated that they wouldn’t [sponsor] a club.”

The ESSER program has diverted money to funding clubs which previously lacked resources. Clubs are now able to request new materials for their organizations. However, there are limitations to the ESSER plan which restrict how the funding is distributed throughout the school.

“The ESSER plan is very detailed and thorough but also super frustrating because what we’re allowed to spend money on is very narrow in scope,” said Ashley Lowry, McLean’s school-based technology specialist. “Our esports club wanted new high quality monitors, which were not provided under ESSER funding. We were told to use our after school funds to purchase those monitors.”

Along with increasing club funding, the ESSER funds added the options of hiring COVID-19 managers and monitors. While this money has been used for COVID-19 management in other schools, McLean’s administration has instead used that money to improve teaching.

“This year, we are spending a lot of our money on professional development for staff so that they are staying current with best practices and can implement those in their classrooms,” Lowry said.

For example, McLean is sending five teachers to the National Council for the Teachers of Mathematics.

“The conference helps math teachers share all their ideas and teaching strategies with one another, so it’s the collective knowledge sharing that helps teachers grow,” Lowry said.

These opportunities help teachers learn and develop new teaching techniques.

“Being able to send teachers to professional learning opportunities so that they stay current on research-based practices is a huge advantage and an excellent way to spend the funds,” Lowry said.

THE ESSER FUNDING HAS MANY BENEFITS FOR OUR STUDENTS AND STAFF.”

- JEREMY HAYS ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF STUDENT ACTIVITIES