KIPP Delta Public Schools (KDPS) has been allocated over $16 million in federal funding through the ESSER 3.0 program (part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021). This funding will help KIPP Delta address the impact that the pandemic has had – and continues to have – on our students, staff, and schools.
KDPS is tasked with outlining a public spending plan presenting our approach to, prevention of, and relief from the COVID-19 pandemic, and identifying other impacted areas that need additional investments to ensure our students’ success. All investment areas must fall within the parameters set forth by Congress and the Department of Education at the federal and state level.
Every quarter, KIPP Delta will use a public survey to gather feedback on our spending plan. KDPS will engage teachers, school administration, parents/guardians, students, and community organizations in this process. Feedback collected helps to inform and drive the direction we will take to use these funds. This survey will be reviewed and shared with the Arkansas Department of Education quarterly.
Funding Priorities
ESSER 3.0 legislation outlines several requirements that districts must meet or follow to allocate and spend the funding, including reserving at least 20 percent of funds ($3.37 million) to accelerate learning progress for students.
KIPP Delta has identified three priority areas for funding:
- Accelerating Academics: Addressing learning loss and accelerating learning through instructional approaches in-school and out-of-school programs and high-quality instructional materials.
- Equitable Access: Addressing resources to ensure students have equitable access to a well-rounded education that includes but is not limited to wrap-around services for students, practices, and programs that maximize students’ social, emotional, and academic benefits, advanced coursework opportunities, and professional development opportunities to maintain well-prepared educations.
- Building Infrastructure: Facility repairs and improvements and transportation costs to enable operation of schools to reduce risk of COVID-19 transmission and exposure to environmental health hazards and to support student health needs.
These three areas align with the required Arkansas Department of Education key priorities. Note that many of these investments represent multi-year strategies and not one-time immediate expenditures.
ESSER 3.0 Stakeholder Survey
KIPP Delta Public Schools has been allocated over $16 million in federal funding through the ESSER 3.0 program (part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021). This funding will help KIPP Delta address the impact that the pandemic has had – and continues to have – on our schools.
We ask stakeholders, including teachers, school administration, parents/guardians, students, and community organizations, to share their feedback to help inform and guide our future planning for this funding.
If you are interested in sharing your feedback on KIPP Delta’s funding plan for ESSER 3.0, please complete the survey found here.
