March 11, 2022

Through March 1, 2022, the district has spent or allocated $2.8 million of the $3.5 million ESSER II allocation, which includes:

• HVAC Ionization equipment to improve air quality in our school buildings
• Social and mental health programs for students and staff, partnering with Alive and Well Communities and Hazel Health through Sept. 30, 2023
• Cybersecurity, facility and child nutrition point-of-sale hardware to improve our data security, HVAC equipment controls and kitchen efficiencies to assist with social distancing in lunch lines
• Outdoor network access points to improve wireless service and provide outdoor learning spaces
• Touchless water bottle filling stations and custodial equipment to help in our mitigation controls

ESSER III funding, which was signed into federal law in March 2021, was officially appropriated by the Missouri State Legislature in February 2022. The district submitted our initial budget application and compliance plan for the $7.9 million on Aug. 23, 2021, and it was approved by DESE on Nov. 15, 2021. This sets our initial direction for using the funds over the next three years. Any subsequent budget revisions will need to be approved by DESE. ESSER III funding will be allocated according to the following categories. Through March 1, 2022, the district has spent or allocated $2.1 million of the $7.9 million ESSER III allocation, which would include:

• Staff stipends for math, reading, English language arts and ESOL intervention
• Digital and print materials for K-12 math programs that will assist in identifying gaps in math learning and provide assessment tools on current learning levels
• RTI/MTSS online training that will support establishing a systematic approach and determining common intervention language
• Continuing our social and mental health programs for students and staff, partnering with Alive and Well Communities and Hazel Health through Sept. 30, 2024

Additional needs to which we expect to allocate ESSER III funding include:

• PPE/COVID-19 response: additional supplies and equipment to maintain our mitigation strategies
• Technology: Zoom licenses, technology firewalls
• School facilities: replacement of aging HVAC controls and unit replacements in specific buildings

“The district will continue to carefully plan for the effective use of these one-time funds,” said Rockwood Director of Finance Daniel Steinbruegge. “Both short-term and long-term planning for these funds are important, and we have to be strategic in addressing the needs that have been identified as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. When we have fully spent our ESSER funds, we want to know they made an impact on our students and building environments.”