​Instructions for Non-LEA entity completion of the USDE ESSER Funding Status Report

Instruction | Section 1 - Non-LEA Entity Information | Section 2 - SEA Reserve Allocations to Non-LEA Entities | Section 5 - Number of FTE Positions | Definitions

Instructions for Non-LEA entity completion of the USDE ESSER Funding Status Report (PDF)

Introduction

Entities that provide educational programs to neglected, delinquent, and at-risk youth (Non-LEA Entities) are required to complete this data reporting requirement for all Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funds they receive pursuant to the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act and Act 24 of 2021.

Non-LEA Entities should only include in this report expenditures of ARP ESSER funds.

Do not include data regarding the use of Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Funds, Emergency Assistance to Nonpublic Schools (EANS) Funds, ARP Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Funds, ARP Homeless Children and Youth (ARP-HCY) Funds, and/or any other Federal, State, or local COVID-related relief funds.

The data submitted by Non-LEA Entities will then be compiled and submitted to the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) as part of the State Educational Agency (SEA) required reporting.

Non-LEA Entities should complete the report based on activities in each Non-LEA Entity's Fiscal Year 2021 for ARP ESSER.

ARP ESSER Reporting Timeline

The ESSER Funding Status Report will be an Excel Reporting Tool extract and will contain several sections with multiple parts to each section.  The sections are as follows, further information for each section, directly follows this introduction.

Section 1 – Non-LEA Entity Information

Section 2 – ESSER SEA Reserve Allocations to Non-LEA Entities

Section 3 – Number of FTE Positions

Please complete the report, save it, and return it to ra-edarpesser@pa.gov by April 29, 2022.

Please refer questions to ra-edarpesser@pa.gov.

Section 1 – Non-LEA Entity Information

1.1 Non-LEA Entity Information

Please complete the section completely to identify the Non-LEA Entity.

Section 2 – SEA Reserve Allocations to Non-LEA Entities

The Pennsylvania General Assembly allocated ARP ESSER funds to certain Non-LEA Entities through Act 24 of 2021 (Act 24). These ARP ESSER funds were part of the ESSER SEA Reserve Allocation.  

Act 24 defines how the ARP ESSER SEA Reserve Allocations were distributed. See Table 1 for the ESSER SEA Reserve Allocations to Non-LEA Entities for ARP ESSER. Note that Non-LEA Entities did not receive ESSER funds under any other Federal or State law.

Table 1: SEA Reserve Allocations to Non-LEA Entities

A Non-LEA Entity will use this section to report the total awards and expenditures, along with allowable uses, of the ESSER SEA Reserve Allocations under ARP ESSER. Carefully review Table 1 and the link to the allocation amounts to ensure that your Non-LEA Entity is including the appropriate ESSER SEA Reserve Allocation in the report.

2.6a ARP ESSER SEA Reserve Awards to Non-LEA Entities

Enter the total amount awarded and expended by the Non-LEA Entity from the ARP ESSER SEA Reserve Allocations (see Table 1). The total amount awarded will be for the entire period of the grant; the amount expended is for this reporting period only.

Indicate the total amount designated or expended for learning loss, afterschool programs, and summer enrichment (as appropriate).

2.6b ARP ESSER SEA Reserve Awards to Non-LEA Entities– Other Use

From 2.6d, enter the amount for "Other Uses" that was awarded and expended during this reporting period.

Select Y or N for how the "Other Uses" awarded under Act 24 were used, if expended during this reporting period.

Table 2 includes examples of expenditures that fall into each of the identified activity categories. Please reference Table 2 when categorizing expenditures during the reporting period.

For expenditures not defined below, please use your best judgment to categorize the expenditure in the most relevant activity category.

Table 2: Examples of ESSER Expenditures by Category

2.6c Planned Uses of Remaining ARP ESSER SEA Reserve Awards to Non-LEA Entities— Other Use

Indicate the planned uses of any ARP ESSER SEA Reserve Award funds that have not been expended during this reporting period.

Indicate the percentage of the remaining funds for each planned expenditure activity listed. Please refer to Table 2 for examples of expenditures in each of the listed activity categories.

Section 5 – Number of FTE Positions

This section outlines the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) Positions in the Non-LEA Entity no matter the funding source.

5.a Total number of FTE positions as of the listed reporting dates

Provide the number of FTE positions for the Non-LEA Entity as of the listed reporting dates. The number of FTE positions includes all staff regardless of whether the position is funded by Federal, State, local, or other funds, and equals the sum of the number of full-time positions plus the FTE of the number of part-time positions. 

Definitions

The following definitions are provided for the purposes of this reporting activity.

ARP - American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

ARP ESSER - Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund authorized under section 2001 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

Awarded - An SEA awards funds when it makes a subgrant to an LEA or, in the case of the SEA Reserve, when it enters into a subgrant or contract with a subrecipient.

CARES - Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act

CRRSA  - Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations

ESSER I - Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund authorized under Section 18003 of Division B of the Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act

ESSER II - Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund authorized under Section 313 of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act

Evidence-based - The ARP Act defines the term "evidence-based" as having the meaning in section 8101(21) of the ESEA. Accordingly, "evidence-based" includes several tiers of evidence. Specifically, "evidence-based," when used with respect to an SEA, LEA, or school activity, means an activity, strategy, or intervention that:

• Demonstrates a statistically significant effect on improving student outcomes or other relevant outcomes based on—
• Strong evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented experimental study ("tier 1");
• Moderate evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented quasi experimental study ("tier 2"); or
• Promising evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented correlational study with statistical controls for selection bias ("tier 3"); or
• Demonstrates a rationale based on high-quality research findings or positive evaluation that such activity, strategy, or intervention is likely to improve student outcomes or other relevant outcomes and includes ongoing efforts to examine the effects of such activity, strategy, or intervention ("tier 4").
  

Given the novel context created by the COVID-19 pandemic, an activity need not have generated such evidence during the COVID-19 pandemic to be considered evidence-based.

Expended - The actual spending of money; an outlay. For purposes of this reporting, reimbursements that are made in the current reporting period that reimburse expenditures made prior to the start of the reporting period and on or after March 13, 2020, are considered "expenditures" for this reporting period.

DUNS# - A DUNS number is a unique nine-character number used to identify your organization. The federal government uses the DUNS number to track how federal money is allocated.

Full-Service Community School - The term ''full-service community school'' means a public elementary school or secondary school that—participates in a community-based effort to coordinate and integrate educational, developmental, family, health, and other comprehensive services through community-based organizations and public and private partnerships; and provides access to such services in school to students, families, and the community, such as access during the school year (including before- and after-school hours and weekends), as well as during the summer.

G5 - U.S. Department of Education's grant management and payment system

Planned Uses of Funds - Remaining funds that have been earmarked or budgeted for specific purposes are considered "Planned Uses" of Remaining Funds. The Department acknowledges these plans may change; please provide the State's most current information regarding budgeted or earmarked uses of remaining funds.

Qualified Educator - For the purposes of this document "qualified" means an educator has met all requirements to earn a state license or certification in the area they are assigned to teach (and does not include substitute or provisional license or certification).

Remaining Funds - The balance remaining after all expenditures through the end of the reporting period have been subtracted from the total award

SEA - State Educational Agency

SEA Reserve funds - An SEA may reserve 10% or less of its ESSER I and II grants (the "SEA Reserve"), to address emergency needs as determined by the SEA resulting from COVID-19, which may be addressed through the use of subgrants or contracts, and up to half of 1% of its total ESSER I and II award for administrative costs, which must come from the SEA reserve. An SEA must reserve at least 7% of its ARP ESSER award for mandatory set-asides for evidence-based interventions, as described below, and up to 3% for emergency needs as determined by the SEA (the "SEA Reserve"). An SEA may also reserve up to half of 1% of its total ARP ESSER award for administrative costs, which must come from the 3% for emergency needs.

State - The 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico