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# U.S. Department of Education Approves Kansas’ Plan for Use of American Rescue Plan Funds to Support K-12 Schools and Students, Distributes Remaining $277 Million To State

# U.S. Department of Education Approves Kansas’ Plan for Use of American Rescue Plan Funds to Support K-12 Schools and Students, Distributes Remaining $277 Million To State

July 22, 2021

**Contact:  **press@ed.gov

                                    -  	More Resources	Kansas Fact Sheet      
Today, the U.S.  Department of Education (Department) announced the approval of Kansas’ American  Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) plan  and distributed remaining ARP ESSER funds to them. Kansas’ 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. Kansas is receiving $831 million total in ARP ESSER funds,  and today’s approval of their plan will result in the release  of the final $277 million. Additionally, the Department approved  plans for Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, 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 Kansas’  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.”

“Addressing  student academic learning loss as well as the loss of social-emotional  connections created by the pandemic has to be our immediate focus,” said Kansas  Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson. “This infusion of federal aid into  our education system allows us to aggressively address these issues to ensure  our students get back on track for success.”

“This will be a  back-to-school season like no other, and with American Rescue Plan resources,  our schools will have the support they need to succeed,” said Rep. Sharice  Davids. “I’m glad to see the Department of Education approve Kansas’ plan to  implement these funds and get our kids back in classrooms safely while also  addressing the toll this past year took on our students, educators, and  communities.”

The  ARP ESSER state plans approved by the Department today, including Kansas, 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 Kansas Department  of Education (KSDE) has identified several evidence-based interventions to  mitigate the academic impact of lost instructional time, including focusing on  the science of teaching language and literacy skills, standards-based  mathematics instruction, social-emotional learning, screening and progress  monitoring, and evaluation of learning progress toward achievement of state  curricular standards.

**Investing in Summer Learning and Expanded Afterschool  Programs:**KSDE  will use ARP ESSER funds this summer (2021) to partner with youth-focused  community organizations, such as the Boys & Girls Club, 4-H, and YMCA, to  help recover lost instructional time in skill development due to the pandemic  by using evidence-based summer learning and enrichment programs and afterschool  programs. KSDE also plans to offset the cost of admission for students to visit  museums, zoos, historical sites, state parks, and the Kansas state fair to  promote experiential learning opportunities during the summer.

**Staffing to Support Students’ and Educators’ Social,  Emotional, and Mental Health Needs:**ARP ESSER funding will allow KSDE to  address a state-wide shortage in licensed professionals trained to address the  documented social-emotional needs of students coming out of the pandemic. This  will include a Grow Your Own Counselor model that encourages districts to  identify candidates and employ them as student services coordinators while they  develop their skills in an approved school counseling graduate program.

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  volumes of 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: KansasAmerican Rescue PlanPress Releases
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