Remaining pandemic funds for 22 Connecticut school districts to be eliminated

Remaining federal pandemic relief funds for 22 Connecticut school districts is at risk after the U.S. Department of Education notified states that COVID-19 funds would be abruptly expiring.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon notified state chiefs of education in a March 28 letter that COVID-19 federal relief funds would be expiring 5 p.m. that day, instead of March 28, 2026.

"Extending deadlines for COVID related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department’s priorities and thus not a worthwhile exercise of its discretion," McMahon said in her letter.

The state Department of Education sent a letter to Connecticut superintendents on March 29, notifying them of the change that could impact the final payouts of the American Rescue Plan Act’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund to some two dozen school districts.

Approximately $6 million in relief funds for school districts has not been spent and is now up in the air, according to the Connecticut State Department of Education. The funds range from nearly $2 million (New London) to $500 (Naugatuck). Waterbury has about $1.5 million being canceled, Bridgeport has nearly $764,000 and New Haven has more than $193,000.

The Ridgefield School District was listed as having just over $38,000, but Superintendent Susie Da Silva this week said the district has already spent its remaining pandemic relief funds.

"RPS had outlined a plan for COVID relief funds from the start of the grant being offered. As a result, when we learned of this news, we had already spent down our funds," Da Silva said. She said the $38,000 went toward training based on new school climate legislation and recommendations from the state, the district's gifted program, and visual and performing arts equipment.

In general, the pandemic relief funds "have been instrumental in limiting the impact of the pandemic on student engagement and learning, while supporting evidence-based activities to accelerate recovery," and the remaining dollars are designed "to further mitigate the effects of the COVID pandemic on Connecticut students," according to the state Department of Education's email.

Connecticut districts have spent more than a billion dollars in federal pandemic relief funds, and in February the state was awarded an extension to liquidate $25,150,711 of ARP ESSER funds. That amount includes the balances for school districts, the state's component and funds that have since been used. The liquidation extension could have allowed Connecticut schools to spend the remaining federal money on previously approved projects through early next year.

However, the U.S. Department of Education “has reconsidered” those requests, McMahon said in her letter to state school officials. The Education Department’s initial approval of extension requests does not change anything, and states cannot rely on the Department adhering to its original decision, McMahon said in her letter Friday.

The state Department of Education's email to superintendents notes that the pandemic relief funds go towards a number of purposes, including initiatives like high-dosage tutoring, expansion of dual credit programming, scientifically-based reading instruction, mathematics professional learning, digital curriculum and online courses, teacher certification and recruitment, student support initiatives like mentoring programs and more.

"Though most Connecticut districts had fully expended their ARP ESSER funds by the standard 120-day liquidation period, and over 97 percent of the ARP ESSER funds have been fully expended, this end to the liquidation extension period could potentially affect approximately 25 school districts, as well as the CSDE and many of its partners/contractors," according to the state Department of Education's email to superintendents.

"Please know that Connecticut will rigorously advocate for the continued liquidation extension authorization of each and every project that was previously approved by the ED," according to the state Department of Education's March 29 email to districts. The state education department will also be following the instructions in McMahon's letter that require explaining how a particular project’s extension is necessary to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on American students’ education, and why the Education Department should grant the request.

The state Department of Education was supposed to discuss the matter in a meeting with the federal Education Department on Monday. However, staff at the federal department canceled the prescheduled meeting, telling state education officials that they had to await further guidance from agency leadership, a state Department of Education spokesperson said Monday afternoon. "We apologize for the late notice and appreciate your understanding," federal department staff told the Connecticut officials.