Many school districts across the nation could be required to return millions of dollars to the U.S. Treasury if they don’t spend their remaining post-COVID relief grant money within 30 days, according to federal data.
Georgetown University’s Edunomics Lab tracks the spending of American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, which the U.S. Department of Education distributed to school districts over three phases since 2021.
The $122 billion program aimed to boost learning recovery in the wake of the pandemic, partially rebuild the educator workforce, and help schools operate safely. The Edunomics Lab previously reported that most of the money was spent on labor, including additional teachers, counselors, classroom aids, tutors/reading coaches, subject area specialists, and administrators….