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# U.S. Department of Education Approves Iowa’s Plan for Use of American Rescue Plan Funds to Support K-12 Schools and Students, Distributes Remaining $258 Million To State

# U.S. Department of Education Approves Iowa’s Plan for Use of American Rescue Plan Funds to Support K-12 Schools and Students, Distributes Remaining $258 Million To State

July 22, 2021

**Contact:  **press@ed.gov

                                    -  	More Resources	Iowa Fact Sheet      
Today, the U.S.  Department of Education (Department) announced the approval of Iowa’s American  Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) plan  and distributed remaining ARP ESSER funds to them. Iowa’s plan details how the  state is using and plans to use ARP ESSER funds to safely reopen and sustain  the safe operation of schools and equitably expand opportunity for students who  need it most, particularly those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this year,  the Department distributed two thirds of the ARP ESSER funds, totaling $81  billion, to 50 states and the District of Columbia. The remaining third of the  funding to states will be made available once state plans are  approved. Iowa is receiving $775 million total in ARP ESSER funds,  and today’s approval of their plan will result in the release  of the final ;$258 million. Additionally, the Department approved  plans for Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, and New Mexico. Earlier this month, the  Department approved the plans for 11 other states and the District of Columbia.

“I am excited to announce approval of Iowa’s  plan,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “It is  heartening to see, reflected in these state plans, the ways in  which states are thinking deeply about how to use American Rescue  Plan funds to continue to provide critical support to schools and  communities, particularly as we move into the summer and look ahead to the  upcoming academic year. The approval of these plans enables states to  receive vital, additional American Rescue Plan funds to quickly and safely  reopen schools for full-time, in-person learning; meet students’ academic,  social, emotional, and mental health needs; and address disparities in access  to educational opportunity that were exacerbated by the coronavirus  pandemic. The state plans that have been submitted to the Department lay  the groundwork for the ways in which an unprecedented infusion of federal  resources will be used to address the urgent needs of America’s children and build  back better.”
	“The  ARP ESSER funding is essential to supporting our continued work to accelerate  learning and provide social-emotional-behavioral health supports through a  Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework to students in Iowa,” said  Iowa Department of Education Director Ann Lebo. “We are looking forward to  assisting LEAs to use the money for implementation of evidence-based practices  for the benefit of all students.” 
The  ARP ESSER state plans approved by the Department today, including Iowa’s, show  how states are using federal pandemic resources to support safe in-person  instruction and meet the social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs  of students—with a focus on the students most impacted by the pandemic. For  example:
- Addressing the Academic Impact of Lost Instructional       Time:  The Iowa       Department of Education (IDOE) will support school districts to implement       evidence-based interventions and practices to be determined that address       accelerated learning in the context of COVID-19. The IDOE also will train       and provide coaching through a statewide implementation network and       provide curated lists of evidence-based interventions and practices from       reviewed organizations. 
- Investing       in Summer Learning and Expanded Afterschool Programs and Supporting Social,       Emotional, and Mental Health Needs:  The IDOE will support school districts to select and implement       evidence-based interventions and practices that address summer school       programming in the context of COVID-19. IDOE also will use ARP ESSER funds       to support implementation of evidence-based comprehensive after-school       programs that integrate before- and after-school programs and wraparound       care. 

A  total of 41 states and the District of Columbia have submitted their ARP ESSER  state plans to the Department. The Department is reviewing the plans  expeditiously and is in contact with states to ensure their plans meet all  necessary requirements in order to access the remaining funds, as outlined in  the ARP. The Department also is in contact with states that have not yet  submitted plans, the vast majority of which are due  to state board of education or legislative review requirements.

  The distribution of ARP ESSER funds is part of the Department’s  broader effort to support students and districts as they work to reengage  students impacted by the pandemic, address inequities exacerbated by COVID-19,  and build our education system back better than before. In addition to  providing $130 billion for K-12 education in the American Rescue Plan to  support the safe reopening of K-12 schools and meet the needs of all students,  the Biden-Harris Administration also has:
- Released       three  volumesof the COVID-19 Handbook.
- Held       a  National Safe School Reopening       Summit .
- Prioritized       the vaccination of educators, school staff and child care workers. As of       the end of May an estimated 84% of teachers and school staff were fully       vaccinated. 
- Provided       $10 billion in funding for COVID-19 testing for PreK-12 educators, staff,       and students. 
- Launched       a series of Equity Summits focused on addressing inequities that existed       before, but were made worse by the pandemic.
- Released       a  report on the disparate impacts of COVID-19 on underserved       communities.
- Developed       a  Safer Schools and Campuses Best       Practices Clearinghouse elevating       hundreds of best practices to support schools’ efforts to reopen safely       and address the impacts of COVID-19 on students, educators, and       communities.

In addition to the actions the Biden Administration  has taken to reopen schools, the President has proposed critical investments  through his Build Back Better agenda that will enable schools to rebuild  stronger than they were before the pandemic, such as investing billions to  build a diverse educator workforce, expand access to pre-K to all families, and  invest in school infrastructure, among other provisions. 
   -  Tags: IowaAmerican Rescue PlanPress Releases
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