The ESSER III committee has had five meetings to examine strategies to be implemented in TUHSD based on survey results and committee discussions. The following strategies are recommendations to be funded by ESSER III and other funding sources. Committee work will continue throughout the school year to make additional recommendations.

Recommended Strategies:

• Classroom size reduction
• Paraprofessionals Recruit and Retain Stipends
• Counselor to Student ratio reduction
• Professional Tutoring platform and services to request and receive tutoring
• Recruitment stipend to attract new teachers in hard to fill areas
• Create pool of external evaluators in order to identify and provide targeted PD
• Staff PD based on needs from evaluations
• Increase Tribal Support - Staffing
• Curriculum for Success University
• Providing Interventions at each site - Freshmen MTSS
• Adult Education program with resources
• Prevention Counselors - adding additional Care 7 staff
• Behavioral Interventionists for SPED
• Behavioral Interventionists for Gen Ed
• PBIS Program Implementation
• Social-emotional screener/dashboard - Panorama
• Summer Education Opportunities/Evening/Saturday School, Intersessions

In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was signed into law. The CARES Act dedicated $13.2 billion for K-12 schools through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund. This grant is known as ESSER I. The intent and purpose of ESSER I funding is to provide emergency relief funds to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus. ESSER I funds can be used to cover expenses incurred March 13, 2020, through September 30, 2022.

The Tempe Union High School District applied to receive its ESSER I allocation in July 2020. TUHSD received $1,057,139.15. This funding was used to purchase laptops and 3-year battery warranty for all freshmen students in the district in an effort to provide continuity of academic services during the COVID 19 pandemic.

In December 2020, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA) was signed into law. CRRSA dedicated an additional $54.3 billion to the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund. This grant is known as ESSER II. The Arizona Department of Education released the grant application in April, 2021, and TUHSD’s ESSER II allocation is $4,390,352.53. TUHSD will apply for its allocation of ESSER II funds before August 2, 2021. ESSER II funds can be used to cover expenses incurred from March 13, 2020, through September 30, 2023.

TUHSD will be using ESSER II funds to purchase laptops and a 3-year battery warranty for 2 years of freshman students. Providing laptops will remove barriers for students who do not have access to appropriate technology. ESSER II funding will also be used to upgrade the wireless connection across the district due to the addition of student laptops. ESSER II funds will also be used to pay for counselors over the summer of 2021 to perform credit checks and needed schedule changes due to the number of students taking summer coursework to get caught up in their credits. ESSER II will also be used to pay for additional Full Time Employment (FTEs) to the comprehensive high schools in the Fall in order to provide credit recovery sections needed for students who have failed a course. Credit recovery will enable students to recoup credit lost during COVID 19. Some sections will be used during the school day. Other sections will be utilized zero hour, 8th hour, and 9th hour in an effort to extend the school day which will allow students to recoup credit faster. This will have a positive impact on our students who have been identified as most at-risk from graduating.

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) signed into law on March 11, 2021 provided nearly $122 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Education Relief (ESSER) Fund. This grant is known as ESSER III. ARP ESSER funds are provided to State educational agencies in the same proportion as each State received under Title Ia of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in fiscal year (FY) 2020. The intent and purpose of ESSER III funding is to help safely reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools and address the impact of the coronavirus on students.

Tempe Union High School District will apply to receive its allocation of ESSER III funds before October, 2021, based on feedback from stakeholder groups. TUHSD’s ESSER III allocation is $9,937,610.47. These funds will be used to address the impact COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on our high schools. Based on guidance from ADE, TUHSD’s plan for ESSER III funds will focus on evidence-based practices to support student needs in the areas of academics and social emotional wellness. Funds will be set aside to provide high-quality instruction, create more time for learning, and provide student enrichment experiences to support academic acceleration.

TUHSD will utilize ESSER III funds to address issues that have risen due to the COVID-19 pandemic. TUHSD is required by statute to set aside 20 percent of its total ESSER III allocation to address learning loss. ESSER III funds can be used to cover expenses incurred from March 13, 2020, through September 30, 2024.

Please provide input by answering the following questions on these surveys:

1. How you would like to see the district prioritize its needs to address learning recovery and the impact of COVID -19? (QUESTIONAIRE FORM).
2. What input do you have on how the district can maintain continuity of services that address students’ academic needs and students’ and staff social, emotional, mental health, which may include student health and food services, (QUESTIONAIRE FORM).

• TUHSD’s current Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan (ARP Act) (opens in Google docs)
• TUHSD's Regreso seguro al plan de instrucción en persona y continuidad de servicios (Ley ARP) (se abre en documentos de Google)