Feds Approve Nevada's $1.07 Billion K-12 Federal Relief Plan

By April Corbin Girnus, Nevada Current

September 14, 2021

Nevada’s plan to spend $1.07 billion in covid federal relief money on its K-12 system received approval Monday, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Nevada was allocated $1.07 billion in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) money as part of the American Rescue Plan in March. Two-thirds of that money — $715 million — was distributed that same month, with the remainder — $358 million — set to be distributed only after the federal department had approved its spending plans.

That approval came Monday. Also approved were state plans for Idaho, Maine and North Carolina. So far, 37 ARP ESSER state plans have been approved by the federal government since June. Altogether, ARP included $122 billion in support for K-12 systems across the country.

Nevada’s 74-page spending plan can be found here. It prioritizes “social, emotional and mental health” of students and educators, addressing interrupted learning and “recruiting, supporting and retaining effective educators,” according to a fact sheet compiled by the U.S. DOE.

Specifics include $10.7 million for after-school programs and $7.5 million for hiring 100 additional school-based mental health professionals. Both of those efforts are being handled by the Nevada Department of Education.

Much of the federal relief money is going directly to school districts.

As the largest district in the state by far, Clark County School District has been allocated the lion’s share of ARP ESSER funds at $778 million. The Clark County School Board last week approved its initial spending plan, which is summarized here.

CCSD plans to spend $533 million of that on “student success” initiatives, including expanding pre-k availability, offering six-week summer career courses and updating technology and instructional materials.

Another $218 million is set aside for COVID-19 mitigation, which includes testing and vaccine support, the expanded summer school programs offered earlier this year, and operations costs like disinfecting buses.

An additional $11 million will be spent on reducing the barrier to entry to becoming an educator and improving career pathways for existing educators; and $9 million is set aside for “supporting parents and the community,” including the launching of a data transparency and accountability dashboard.

Nevada Current, a nonprofit, online source of political news and commentary, documents the policies, institutions and systems that affect Nevadans’ daily lives. The Current is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers.