HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) applied for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund and were approved Wednesday, April 29 by the U.S. Department of Education.
With ESSER, $41.3 million will be given to Montana of which $37.2 million will be distributed to local school districts during COVID-19. The other $4.1 million will be set aside for additional emergency funding for schools.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen said, “Montana was one of the first states in the county to submit our application for ESSER funds last week to support our local schools. Montana parents and teachers have gone above and beyond to serve their students in these unusual circumstances. I’m glad to see that our state’s share of federal relief dollars will be making their way to local communities soon.”
With the approval of ESSER, OPI will be consulting with educators across the state to discuss how and when the funds will be allocated.
ESSER comes from $13.2 billion originally set aside in the CARES Act by Congress for school assistance during COVID-19.
For more information visit oese.ed.gov.
