The following memo was distributed by the Florida Department of Education regarding preliminary anticipated funds that school districts may be able to use to assist with school openings and other areas related to COVID-19. The amount of funds to be received in Alachua County is $6,887,631.73. A full list of all funds by district can be found below.
From: Chancellor of Public Schools
Sent: Thursday, May 28, 2020 4:56:21 PM
Subject: Preliminary LEA Allocations
Good Afternoon, Superintendents,
As you are currently planning for the next fiscal year, many districts have inquired about the dollars that each district will receive related to the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund established as part of the Education Stabilization Fund in the CARES Act. For your convenience, we have attached the district allocations based on the funding formula prescribed by the CARES Act. Further information is forthcoming.
Per the CARES Act: an LEA that receives funds under this title may use the funds for any of the 12 purposes below. Note that LEAs must follow state and federal laws about equitable distribution of funds to public charter schools, and equitable services must also be provided to private schools.
1. Any activity authorized by the ESEA of 1965, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 or subtitle B of title VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
2. Coordination of preparedness and response efforts of local educational agencies with State, local, Tribal, and territorial public health departments, and other relevant agencies, to improve coordinated responses among such entities to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.
3. Providing principals and others school leaders with the resources necessary to address the needs of their individual schools.
4. Activities to address the unique needs of low-income children or students, children with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and foster care youth, including how outreach and service delivery will meet the needs of each population.
5. Developing and implementing procedures and systems to improve the preparedness and response efforts of local educational agencies.
6. Training and professional development for staff of the local educational agency on sanitation and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases.
7. Purchasing supplies to sanitize and clean the facilities of a local educational agency, including buildings operated by such agency.
8. Planning for and coordinating during long-term closures, including for how to provide meals to eligible students, how to provide technology for online learning to all students, how to provide guidance for carrying out requirements under IDEA and how to ensure other educational services can continue to be provided consistent with all Federal, State, and local requirements.
9. Purchasing educational technology (including hardware, software, and connectivity) for students who are served by the local educational agency that aids in regular and substantive educational interaction between students and their classroom instructors, including low-income students and students with disabilities, which may include assistive technology or adaptive equipment.
10. Providing mental health services and supports.
11. Planning and implementing activities related to summer learning and supplemental after-school programs, including providing classroom instruction or online learning during the summer months and addressing the needs of low-income students, students with disabilities, English learners, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care.
12. Other activities that are necessary to maintain the operation of and continuity of services in local educational agencies and continuing to employ existing staff of the local educational agency.
Thank you,
Jacob Oliva
Chancellor of K-12 Public Schools
Florida Department of Education
325 West Gaines Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400
(850) 245-0509
FDOE_Public Schools Signature (005)
