In response to the devastating economic impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress passed multiple stimulus packages. This information is about the package passed in March 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
Voorheesville Central School District expects to receive $282,513 as part of the ARPA.
Decisions on how to utilize our federal stimulus money were made, in part, by community feedback from a survey and input from families at virtual forums and board meetings. The district encourages the community to provide ideas at any time by reaching out to Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Operations, Mr. James Southard at jsouthard@voorheesville.org.
Below are the district’s plans for this federal stimulus money.
American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Spending Plan
Through June 30, 2023
On March 11, 2021, the President signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA).
ARPA makes available $122.8 billion nationally in a third round of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP-ESSER) funds.
The 2021-22 enacted state budget includes language requiring each local education agency, or LEA receiving federal ARP-ESSER funding to post on its website a plan by school year of how such funds will be expended and how the LEA will prioritize spending on non-recurring expenses in the following areas:
Safely returning students to in-person instruction;
Maximizing in-person instruction time;
Operating schools and meeting the needs of students;
Addressing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on students, including the impacts of interrupted instruction and learning loss and the impacts on low-income students, children with disabilities, English language learners, and students experiencing homelessness;
Implementing evidence-based strategies to meet students’ social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs.
The LEA must reserve at least 20% of its allocation to address learning loss.
It must ensure that such interventions respond to students’ academic, social, and emotional needs and address the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus on economically disadvantaged students, children with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness, and children and youth in foster care.
Voorheesville will receive $282,513 as part of ARPA. The funding and related expenditures will be accounted for separately from the school district general fund budget.
The current plan indicates the ARPA funds will be expended during the 2022-23 fiscal year.
The items listed below are how the district plans to spend the ARPA funds:
Extended learning and academic support to minimize the impacts of interrupted learning due the COVID-19 pandemic
In addition to addressing the impacts of interrupted learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the items listed in this plan are intended to meet the needs of all students, to safely return students to in-person instruction, and to maximize in-person instructional time.
Additional documents