School districts in Springfield, Chicopee and Holyoke say they are on track to spend funds they received from the federal government during the pandemic.
If the districts do not plan to spend and then commit their Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding by the Sept. 30 deadline, the money must be returned, said Superintendent of Springfield Public Schools Daniel J. Warwick.
Congress first created the ESSER funding program when it passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act in March 2020. The main goal of the funds was to support the safe reopening of schools and to help them respond to the pandemic’s impact on education. Additional ESSER funding went to schools as Congress passed more aid packages, such as the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021.
Springfield received about $250 million, Warwick said.
Warwick said Springfield intentionally did not spend its ESSER money on adding staff to avoid cuts when the funding ran out.
“We did not want to cut positions in the event of a funding cliff. All additional positions were funded through the Student Opportunity Act,” he said.
Instead, the Springfield school district used its ESSER money on school interventions, in addition to before- and after-school and summer enrichment programs. The Springfield schools also spent its pandemic funding on mental health support, technology, software and building upgrades.
According to Warwick, ESSER funding was used to invest in projects at each school in the district.
About $80 million went directly to school teams to spend on strategic investments like technology labs, kitchen replacements and playgrounds — things they could not do with traditionally budgeted money, Warwick said.
Chicopee Public Schools received $2.45 million in the first round of funding and $9.95 million in the second round of funding.
The total amount Chicopee received in a third round of ESSER funding is $22.33 million, and the school district is on track to fully spend the money before the deadline, said Kristopher Theriault, the district’s grants administrator.
“While approximately 70% of ESSER III funds have not been officially exhausted, all of the funds have been earmarked or encumbered for the various projects that impact our students, staff and district as a whole,” Theriault said.
Chicopee focused its ESSER funding on addressing learning loss, purchasing educational equipment and instructional materials, making building improvements and providing mental health support for students and staff.
The investments also allowed for increased professional development, said Jennifer Bellville, Chicopee’s assistant superintendent for instruction and accountability.
Altogether, ESSER funds for Holyoke Public Schools totaled over $57 million, and of that, the district has $13 million left to spend.
The majority of funding is already allocated to be spent by the end of the summer, for payroll obligations and planned capital projects, said Erin Linville, chief of strategy and turnaround.
Holyoke also used ESSER money to invest in personal protective equipment, to make facility improvements like updating the heating ventilation and air conditioning systems, replacing roofs and flooring, introducing air filtration systems and improving outdoor spaces.
ESSER funds were also used to prioritize the schools most impacted by rezoning, to invest in technology and teachers’ development. Additional funding was used for the expansion of the dual language and early college programs, to increase personnel and services, the inclusion of co-teaching for students with disabilities and an increase in staffing.
Holyoke School Receiver Anthony Soto said he is confident the district will maintain its investments.
“We are optimistic that the Student Opportunity Act funding from the state of Massachusetts will allow us to sustain many important investments — such as counselors, student support staff, content-based coaches, and additional teachers — that our students need and deserve,” Soto said.
