American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP)

Horseheads Central School District Allocation Plan

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) is the federal $1.9 trillion economic stimulus plan passed by Congress and signed into law in March 2021 to assist with the country's recovery from the economic effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The ARP provides funds for individuals and families as well as organizations including school districts. The Horseheads Central School District's allocation from the ARP is $4,261,095. Allowable uses of these funds include the following:

preventing, preparing for, and responding to COVID-19
hiring new staff
avoiding layoffs
addressing learning loss
preparing for schools to reopen
testing, repairing, and upgrading projects to improve air quality of buildings

The plan requires that the district spend $1,217,313 to address student learning loss during the pandemic. The district must use these funds:

to address learning loss by supporting the implementation of evidence-based interventions
to ensure that such interventions respond to students’ academic, social, and emotional needs
to address the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus on student subgroups.

The district must also use $101,418 to implement evidence-based summer learning/enrichment interventions, and $101,418 to provide evidence-based extended day/afterschool programs.

The district must expend these funds by September 30, 2024.

A requirement of the plan is to seek input on the allocation of funds from various stakeholders. In June 2021, the district sent a survey to parents, community members, local organizations, and posted it to the district website and social media pages. The district received more than 1,000 responses.

Following are the priorities ranked by survey responders:

Additional instruction technology equipment – 53%
Additional social-emotional and mental health services – 53%
After school learning opportunities – 42%
Summer learning opportunities – 22%
Additional supports for early childhood education – 18%
Other – 12%

Based on the survey results and the planning, discussion, and research of district administration and staff, the district has placed an emphasis on providing additional technology, social-emotional supports, and after-school learning opportunities for our students. The district is also planning for additional summer learning opportunities and supports for early childhood education.

Click here for the district's approved ARP ESSER State Reserves Application.

Allocations:

Purpose	July 2021- June 2022	July 2022- June 2023	July 2023- June 2024	July 2024-September 2024
Contract with agencies to develop student support centers that provide mentoring, counseling, and social-emotional learning supports	$10,000	$10,000	$10,000	$10,000
Contract with third party service providers for socio-emotional supports for students and employees	$10,000	$10,000	$10,000	$10,000
Curriculum work costs associated with essential learning needs of students	**	**	**	$176,175
Accelerated learning costs (to begin summer of 2022)	-	$18,500	$18,500	$18,500
Provide four additional teaching assistants at the elementary level and four additional teaching assistants at the secondary level for additional support for students in the classroom	$155,000	$160,000	$165,000	X
Provide at-risk counselor at the Intermediate School. Students will be assigned to this support who are struggling academically and socially/emotionally	$61,000	$63,000	$65,000	X
Increase extra-curricular options for students	**	$20,000	$20,000	X
Provide counselors and/or social workers during wrap-around care for social-emotional needs	$10,000	$10,000	$10,000	X
Implement a Summer Learning Academy to be held three weeks prior to the start of each school year for identified students grades K-6	$39,000	$39,000	$39,000	$39,000
Contract with local not-for-profit entities that offer summer programming	$1,000	$1,000	$1,000	$1,000
Provide two social workers at the secondary level	$117,000	$121,000	$125,000	X
Provide new primary level outdoor learning spaces	$1,269,000	-	-	-
Provide new outdoor elementary classrooms	$780,000	-	-	-
Purchase additional laptops for student use	**	**	**	$396,000
Provide additional 1.8 FTE instructional technicians	**	**	$242,420	-
Annual Total	$2,452,000	$452,000	$705,920	$650,675
Grand Total	$4,261,095

**Initiatives are combined with the $3.5 million allocation from the federal Coronavirus Response and Relief Appropriations Act (CRSSA). Items noted with “**” indicate the costs will be paid from CRSSA funds for those years. Between the two pools of federal money, the district anticipates purchasing approximately 3,000 laptops to move the district towards the goal of a 1:1 model of technology for our students.

X costs for these items will not be expended prior to the September 30 cut off.

Please note: This multiyear plan is subject to change and will be adjusted as necessary to best serve the needs of our students. Sustainability is also a key component of this plan. The district will identify programs that are expected to continue beyond the availability of federal funds and identify local funds that will be used to maintain such programs.

On June 17, 2021, the Board of Education heard a presentation on federal COVID-19 relief funding (both the ARP and the CRRSA stimulus) as well as planning for the 2021-22 school year. Note that the information above applies only to the ARP funds. Click here for the Board presentation.