Attachment A_1810-0749 ESSER Directed Questions

Paperwork Reduction Act Submission Supporting Statement

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund ESSER I, ESSER II, and ARP ESSER) Data Collection Form

October 2021

Attachment A

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER I, ESSER II and ARP ESSER) Data Collection Form:

Directed Questions

(30 day Comment Period)

30-day Comment Period

Introduction

This attachment contains a specific topic for which ED would like to obtain input from data submitters and stakeholders. Please note that in addition to these specific questions, public comments are encouraged on all parts of the ESSER (ESSER I, ESSER II, and ARP ESSER) Data Collection Form.

Directed QuestionS

Directed Question 1

In service to the recommendation from GAO, and in response to feedback collected from grantees during the 60-day period, the Department proposes to collect information on the planned uses of ESSER funds remaining at the end of the reporting period after expenditures have been deducted from the grant total (rather than obligations, as originally proposed in the previously published draft). Is the definition of planned uses of remaining funds clear to SEAs and LEAs? Is it feasible for SEAs to collect this data from LEAs? What process would LEAs use to collect and report this data to the SEA? What are the anticipated challenges or concerns, if any, to collecting or reporting this data?

Directed Question 2

Questions 3.e1 and 3.e2 of the proposed form asks LEAs to report to SEAs what percentage of expenditures support key priorities relating to implementation of the American Rescue Plan Act; is this feasible for LEAs to estimate? What are the challenges or concerns, if any, to collecting or reporting this data?

Directed Question 3

The use of funds categories as presented in the proposed form combine extended learning and summer learning into a single category and separate high-dosage intensive tutoring into a separate category. Are LEAs able to separate extended learning expenditures (including extended day, week, or school year but not including summer learning) from summer learning expenditures? Are LEAs able to isolate high-dosage tutoring expenditures from extended and summer learning? If not, what changes in categories, descriptions, and/or definitions would enable LEAs to provide this kind of information?

Directed Question 4

The Department proposes to make the following questions optional in the first reporting cycle of ARP ESSER, and required in the second annual reporting cycle of ARP ESSER (the reporting period for Year 2 of ARP ESSER is October 1, 2021 – September 30, 2022):

• Question 3.b10: LEA Hiring and Retention with ESSER I, ESSER II, and/or ARP ESSER funds

• Question 4.b2: Equitable support for learning recover: activities by subpopulations

• Question 4.c1: Equitable access to key staff

What data quality or other concerns are associated with reporting this data in the second annual report cycle of ARP ESSER?

Directed Question 5

Are there parts of the form not covered by the previous questions that will be difficult to compile and/or report on and why? Are there changes that could be made to improve the quality of the data or reduce the burden for respondents? What are the overall challenges to reporting these data on an annual basis?

Directed Question 6

Is the updated burden estimate provided by the Department (120 hours per response) a reasonable estimate for both LEAs and SEAs?