ESSER Roadmap
The federal government has made a historic investment in K-12 education. Arizona will see over four billion dollars in relief and recovery funds for use through September 2024. This funding comes from three separate pieces of pandemic relief and recovery legislation under a single program called the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, or “ESSER.”
As the State Education Agency (SEA), the Arizona Department of Education is designated by the federal government to distribute the funds under rules and regulations embedded in the law under which the appropriations are made.
Read the Roadmap See the Setaside Allocations
Apply for ESSER I & II Apply for ESSER III
The majority of ESSER funds (90%) are required to be allocated directly to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) that are already recipients of federal education funds (Title I-A) based on the proportionate share of Title I-A funds, which are largely based on poverty data.
ADE is also granted discretionary authority over subsets of the funds to make critical investments that address emergency needs for education across the state.
Overall, the goal of these dollars is to support communities recovering from COVID-19, position our state’s educational system to support student success, and ensure Arizona has a 21st-century ready workforce.
The following is a road map for ESSER fund distribution:
- Available funding and timelines
- Strategic priority areas and indicators of progress
- Funding announcements to-date
- Rubric to guide funding decision
- Assurances and Obligations for Receipt of Funds
- Key Dates and Timeframes
- Stakeholder Engagement and Opportunities for Input
