On Aug. 5, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) announced the approval of Montana’s American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) plan, and it distributed remaining ARP ESSER funds to the state.
Montana’s plan details how the state is using and plans to use ARP ESSER funds to safely reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools and equitably expand opportunity for students who need it most, particularly those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Montana is receiving $382 million total in ARP ESSER funds, and with the approval of the state’s plan, it will receive the final $127 million.
As schools and states gear up for the return to school, the Department released data which provides key resources and supports for students, parents, educators, and school communities to return to classrooms and outlines how federal funding can support the safe and sustained return to in-person learning.
Earlier this year, the Department distributed two thirds of the ARP ESSER funds, totaling $81 billion, to 50 states and the District of Columbia.
To date, 22 ARP ESSER state plans have been approved since June.
“When our school doors open here in Montana this month, we’re looking forward to as normal a school year as possible,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen. “Our plan allows school administrators and teachers to use these funds wisely to promote innovation in the classroom and enhance learning opportunities for our students, without sacrificing an ounce of accountability.”
In addition to the actions the Biden Administration has taken to reopen schools, the President has proposed critical investments through his Build Back Better agenda that will enable schools to rebuild stronger than they were before the pandemic, such as investing billions to build a diverse educator workforce, expand access to pre-K to all families, and invest in school infrastructure, among other provisions.
Montana’s ARP ESSER plans show how the state is using federal pandemic resources to support safe in-person instruction and meet the social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs of students—with a focus on the students most impacted by the pandemic. For example:
Addressing the Academic Impact of Lost Instructional Time, Investing in Summer Learning and Expanding Afterschool Programs: The Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) has allocated funds to school districts to invest in evidence-based programs and is providing tools to help school districts decide how to select interventions.
OPI will provide a variety of sustained, multi-tiered systems of supports, professional earning, data support, and technical assistance opportunities to school districts to support their academic impact plans and implementation. OPI will use the Opportunity to Learn Survey collected in May 2021 and the Professional Needs Survey collected in February 2021, along with data collected at the local level, to identify student groups disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Districts will submit specific action plans to target those students, such as afterschool or summer school programs. OPI also is partnering with community-based organizations like the YMCA, Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs, and local libraries to support summer and afterschool programs.
Expanding Summer Enrichment Opportunities: OPI is developing summer enrichment opportunities for Montana students based on student-driven interests and purpose. The first student film festival will be held the summer of 2022 and will be enhanced with afterschool workshops developing student interests and skills in digital media and communication. The Montana Arts Council, the Department of Labor, the Chamber of Commerce, and Reach Higher are all partners in this effort. OPI will release a summer enrichment planning guide for public and nonpublic schools and communities this fall.
Supporting Students’ and Educators Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Needs: Social, emotional, and behavioral supports and guidance are embedded throughout resources published by OPI. OPI also held virtual meetings for the Montana School Counselors Association that continued throughout spring 2020 focusing on school counseling, screening, and social emotional learning in partnership with the Montana School Counselors Association. Additionally, OPI is encouraging schools to utilize the additional funding received from COVID-19 relief to add personnel to their schools as deemed necessary through local needs assessments, including counselors.
