Arts Education & Federal ESSER Funding ($3.2B in NC)
The American Rescue Plan (ARP) allocated $126 billion to Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER), more than double what was allocated in December of 2020, and nearly 10 times what was allocated for K-12 education in the CARES Act. Arts NC is partnering with all member organizations of the Arts Education Leadership Coalition (AELC) to provide the necessary tools resources, such as the AELC Recommendations for Acceptable Arts Uses of ESSER III Funding, so that arts education advocates can access this federal funding in school districts throughout North Carolina..
“These American Rescue Plan funds are essential to providing more in-person learning options for students quickly, sustaining schools’ safe operations, supporting our students’ social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs, and boldly addressing inequities that were exacerbated by the pandemic. In developing plans to utilize these funds, it’s critical that states and districts bring to the table the voices of those who can best speak to how we can meet these goals, including students, parents, educators, and stakeholders.”
US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona
The North Carolina minimum allocation to Local Education Agencies (LEAs), spread across three years amounts to $3,239,272,535 (ESSER III) from ARP (March 2021), which is in addition to $1,442,331,888 (ESSER II) from the Economic Relief Act (December 2020), and $356,680,446 (ESSER I) from the CARES Act (March 2020).
These funds will be distributed to every public school district in the state for 15 types of allowable uses of ESSER funds, which may include PPE, training, hardware and software, after school programs, paying for educators and classroom materials. The funding is authorized for any well-rounded education program including dance, music, theatre, and visual arts. This funding can be used for arts education, but you have to ASK, and you have to ADVOCATE. Advocates must work with principals, administrators, superintendents, and school boards to access this funding for arts education in order to benefit students in NC districts.