Mequon-Thiensville School District

News Detail

US Department of Education Approves ESSER III Funding Plan for Wisconsin Schools

On May 5, 2022, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) announced that the state plan for ESSER III funds has been fully approved by the US Department of Education.  ESSER III is the Emergency and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund grant program authorized under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act.  It provides additional funding to schools to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19

The final ESSER III amount allocated to MTSD is $2,937,259.  This funding will fall into the following three categories:

Title I Allocation

As required, DPI calculated ESSER III allocations to school districts using the 2020-21 Every Student Succeeds Act, which is based on the number and percentage of children from low-income families. While the Title I calculation was used, Title I spending requirements do not apply to ESSER III. MTSD’s Title I portion was made available in March 2022. The final amount is $607,387

Additional Funding to Raise to $578 Per Pupil for EBIS

In the state of Wisconsin, there were approximately 172 districts that did not receive $578 per pupil in their title allocation, MTSD being one of them. ESSER III will provide additional funding to attain the $578 per pupil level. These funds are to be used for evidence-based intervention systems (EBIS) to address learning lost due to Covid.  The final amount is $1,431,219.  

Funding Based on In-Person Instruction

Districts that received less than $400 per pupil from the initial ESSER III allocations and that reported providing in-person instruction for at least 50% of the 2020-21 school year. MTSD easily exceeded the 50% benchmark, qualifying us for these funds. The final amount is $898,653.

Similar to other grants the district accesses, the district must first incur the expense and submit a claim for reimbursement. The ESSER III grant performance period is March 13, 2020-September 30, 2024.