Omaha Public Schools: Community Comment OPEN For District ESSER Priorities

Press release from Omaha Public Schools:

Alex Hassel

August 16, 2021

Omaha Public Schools is working with students, staff and our community to determine how to best utilize federal relief funding connected to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funds provide support to schools and are intended to minimize the disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic and support the academic, social and emotional well-being of students.

In March 2020, the ESSER I Fund provided Omaha Public Schools with $23.2 million. This fund was utilized in May 2020 when the Board of Education approved the purchase of 54,400 internet-enabled iPads to prepare for the 2020-21 school year and support blended learning beyond that time. This fund also supported our health and safety efforts, allowing Omaha Public Schools to be among the first large, urban school districts to responsibly return to in-person learning.

The ESSER II Fund provided Omaha Public Schools with $86.4 million, and this summer the ESSER III Fund has allocated an additional $194.1 million. These funds have not yet been utilized. Collaborating with our students, staff, families and our community is a priority for our district as we move forward together in planning for the use of ESSER II and III funds. Our district has an important responsibility to use these funds wisely so they can make a lasting, positive impact for our students.

The Omaha Public Schools ESSER II and III plans will be built on four key pillars:

Staff, student and family engagement for the ESSER II and III funds resulted in more than 8,441 survey responses and sought open-ended feedback through 49 in-person sessions and 24 virtual sessions. More than 2,875 teachers and more than 575 family members participated. NEW: Community members can provide feedback by emailing esserfeedback@ops.org.

District staff provided additional details on the ESSER I, II and III funds during a presentation to the Board of Education on Monday, June 21. Click here to watch the initial Board presentation or view the presentation slideshow here . Staff will also present an update on Aug. 16. Click here to view the Aug. 16 presentation slideshow .

This press release was produced by Omaha Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.