ESSER and GEER Annual Reporting Coming Soon

Dear School Business Professionals, We have been asked to forward the following information regarding the ESSER and GEER Annual Reporting Coming Soon. Regards, School Business Advisory Services Team Santa Barbara County Education Office
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The California Department of Education (CDE) is reaching out to you to provide an update regarding the required Annual Reporting to the U.S. Department of Education for the COVID-19 Federal Stimulus Funds.
Every local educational agency (LEA) who received Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) I, ESSER II, ESSER III, ESSER II State Educational Agency (SEA) Reserve, ESSER III SEA Reserve, Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) I, and/or GEER II funding is federally required to report to the CDE for the Annual Report. The report will cover expenditures and applicable activities from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022. The Annual Reporting is currently scheduled to begin March 1, 2023, and close March 28, 2023, to meet the U.S. Department of Education’s recently announced deadlines. We are continuing to work with the U.S. Department of Education to stress the need for an extension to allow LEAs more time to gather required data and report, but, as of now, LEAs must prepare to report in March 2023.
The U.S. Department of Education currently estimates that completion of these reporting requirements for ESSER and GEER funds may take roughly 40 hours and 4.1 hours, respectively. Please read below regarding the specific requirements for each annual report.
ESSER I, II, and III Annual Reporting Resource Codes 3210, 3212, 3213, 3214
LEAs will be required to report expenditures for ALL ESSER funding sources by the following categories in this reporting period:
* Addressing Physical Health and Safety * Meeting Students’ Academic, Social, Emotional, and Other Needs (Excluding Mental Health Supports) * Mental Health Supports for Students and Staff * Operational Continuity and Other Allowed Uses
Under each of the ESSER categories above, LEAs will be required to report the total amount expended during the reporting period for:
* Personnel Services – Salaries * Personnel Services – Benefits * Purchased Professional and Technical Services * Purchased Property Services * Other Purchased Services * Supplies * Property * Debt Service and Miscellaneous * Other Items
LEAs will report additional allowable use categories (Yes/No) for which the 20% of ESSER III funds reserved to address the impact of learning loss (Resource Code 3214) were used.
LEAs will also be required to report on planned uses of funds by each category by percentage.
Additionally, LEAs will be required to answer whether they have spent ESSER funds (Yes/No) on the following items in this reporting period:
* Promoting vaccination * Consistent and correct mask use * Physical distancing * Screening testing to promptly identify cases, clusters, and outbreaks * Ventilation * Handwashing and respiratory etiquette * Staying home when sick and getting tested * Contact tracing * Cleaning and disinfection
Furthermore, LEAs will report as to whether or not (Yes/No) they used ESSER funding for providing internet access, allocation of resources, and addressing learning loss in this reporting period. LEAs will also report on efforts to reengage students in learning, regardless of whether ESSER funds were used for this purpose.
LEAs will also be required to report on the number of Full-Time Equivalent staff positions as of specified dates, which must include all staff, regardless of whether the position is funded by Federal, State, local, or other funds.
ESSER II and III Reserves Annual Reporting Utilized for the Expanded Learning Opportunities Grant (ELO-G) Resource Codes 3216, 3218, 3219
LEAs will be required to report the total amount expended during the reporting period for each funding source.
Additionally, for Resource Codes 3216 and 3218, LEAs will answer (Yes/No) if expenditures occurred during the reporting period for the following categories:
* Addressing Physical Health and Safety * Meeting Students’ Academic, Social, Emotional, and Other Needs (Excluding Mental Health Supports) * Mental Health Supports for Students and Staff * Operational Continuity and Other Allowed Uses
LEAs will also be required to report on planned uses of funds by each category by percentage for Resource Codes 3216 and 3218.
GEER I and II Annual Reporting Including GEER II, Utilized for the ELO-G Resource Codes 3215, 3217
For GEER I and II funding, LEAs will have to report as to whether or not (Yes/No) funds have been used during this reporting period for:
* Purchasing educational technology * Activities focused on addressing 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 * Providing mental health services and supports * Sanitization and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases * Extended learning time opportunities * Other
LEAs will be additionally required to report on planned uses of funds by category by percentage for:
* Purchasing educational technology * Providing mental health services and supports * Sanitization and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases, including cleaning supplies and staff training to address sanitization and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases * Extended learning time opportunities, including tutoring, summer learning, and supplemental afterschool programs. * Other * Not yet determined
An additional category of planned uses by percentage is also required, but can include planned funds from categories listed above:
* Activities focused specifically on addressing 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
LEAs will also be required to answer (Yes/No) if GEER I and/or II funding was used to provide home internet access, mobile hotspots, devices, internet subscriptions for students, home internet access, and/or Other in this reporting period.
For GEER Annual Reporting, LEAs will also be required to report how many non-public and public schools received GEER I and II funding or services during this reporting period.
The CDE recommends LEAs start collecting this information now to support reporting in March 2023. To review the LEA’s previously submitted data on the U.S. Department of Education’s Education Stabilization Fund Transparency Portal, please visit covid-relief-data.ed.gov/profile/state/CA, select the appropriate fund source, and then select an Annual Performance Report to search for your LEA’s submitted data.
LEAs can also review last year’s reporting requirements at www.cde.ca.gov/fg/cr/anreporthelp.asp. While these requirements are still subject to change, as the U.S. Department of Education has not published this year’s requirements, the reports are expected to be very similar.
If you have additional questions, please email them to EDReliefFunds@cde.ca.gov<mailto:EDReliefFunds@cde.ca.gov>.
Thank you!
CDE Federal Stimulus Team
Join the CDE ED Relief Funds listserv by sending a blank email message to join-edrelieffunds@mlist.cde.ca.gov<mailto:join-edrelieffunds@mlist.cde.ca.gov>.