(Washington, DC) Today, DC Public Schools announced that it is scheduled to receive $191 million in the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. This federal investment will support the full reopening of schools for in-person learning in the fall and ensure student students are supported on the path to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

DCPS is asking families, teachers, staff, and community members to help prioritize how the ARP ESSER funds should be used as the district prepares for next school year. A public survey is open through Friday, May 28 and can be accessed at bit.ly/dcps-recovery-survey.

Recently, Mayor Bowser announced the availability of fully flexible recovery funds to ensure that no school experiences a reduction in their FY22 budget from the current year. These funds will be used to hold schools harmless from the impact of year-over-year enrollment shifts and fulfill all outstanding FY22 budget assistance requests from school communities.

“Community engagement is critical as we build a strong foundation for our schools and continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee. “We know the pandemic has impacted our school communities in different ways, and we value insights from schools on identifying urgent needs. Through collaboration and engagement with stakeholders, we will ensure our schools have the resources they need for a strong recovery.”

Between March and December 2020, DCPS received $108 million in ESSER I and ESSER II funds. An overview of planned uses of federal stimulus funds received to date is available here.