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Alpena-area school districts map out use of relief funds

News File Photo Construction continues at Ella White Elementary School in preparation for the 2021-22 school year in this Aug. 16 News file photo.

ALPENA — Northeast Michigan schools have received $76.2 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.

School districts have three years to spend three rounds of coronavirus rescue funds from the federal government, which can be used to purchase pandemic-related needs, such as reopening schools safely, sustaining their safe operation, and addressing students’ social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs resulting from the pandemic.

Schools have to notify state officials of their purchase plans before spending the money and will be reimbursed for those funds at a later date.

The amount of funding infused in Northeast Michigan school varies from nearly one-quarter of a school district’s budget expenses for the 2021-2022 school year to one-half of a school district’s budget expenses.

Alpena Public Schools, for example, received a little over $10 million, equal to one-quarter of what district officials plan to spend this year. Meanwhile, the $4 million Atlanta Community Schools received equals about one-half of what district officials are planning to spend this year.

In neighboring school districts, ESSER funding represents 28% of what Hillman Community Schools district officials plan to spend this year, 31% of Rogers City Area Schools plans to spend, 32% of what Onaway Area Schools plans to spend, 33% of Posen Consolidated Schools plans to spend, and 37% of what Alcona Community Schools’ plans to spend.

Alcona Community Schools officials already have $414,000 of its ESSER I funding allocated for purchases like Chromebook laptops, laptops for teachers, water stations, and ionizers to help with air quality within the schools.

Superintendent Dan O’Connor in an email to The News said they have some ideas about what they will use the district’s ESSER II and ESSER III funding on, but are still early in the planning phases. He said they only have half of the $414,000 spent at this point because of cash flow changes during the summer months.

“The ESSER funds are reimbursement funds, so you can only receive the funding for what you have spent,” he said in the email, “Long story short, for small districts, it’s going to take time to bid projects out and have enough cash flow to continue the project.”

He said it is good that school districts will have three years to spend the funds.

Rogers City Area Schools has plans for all three rounds of its ESSER funding. Data provided by the district’s Finance Assistant, Tammy Budnick, shows district officials used the majority of its ESSER I funds on personnel salaries and benefits, technology for long distance learning, and cleaning supplies.

The district has already begun spending its second round of funding on hands-free faucets and toilets, removing some carpeting and replacing it with tile, and summer school and after school personnel costs.

Rogers City Area Schools’ third round of funding will include the purchase of cleaning supplies, additional technology for teachers, and the installation of more windows to improve air quality.

Alpena Public Schools Superintendent Dave Rabbideau said the funding helped district officials cover a wide range of things, including instructional programming, instruction, and transportation. District officials have spent ESSER funds on Chromebook laptops and, most recently, the removal of carpeting, asbestos abatement and replacement of tiling at Ella White Elementary School.

“It helps us to do what we’re trying to do for the kids,” he said.

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