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ARP ESSER III Grant Program

The ARP ESSER III grant program is authorized in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP), signed into law in March 2021.

The period of availability for ARP ESSER III grant funds is from March 13, 2020 (with pre-award), to September 30, 2024 (with carryover).

The ESSER III FAR code is 282.

Entitlements

The Entitlements page lists ARP ESSER III amounts allocated to eligible LEAs by LEA and ESC.

Refer to the ESSER Fund Allocation Procedures for details on TEA's method for allocating ESSER funds.

ARP ESSER III RIPICS and Use of Funds Plans

Materials Required to Be Posted on the Web
An LEA that receives ESSER III grant funding is required to develop the following plans and post them online:

  • A plan for safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services, per ARP Section 2001(i)
  • An ESSER III use of funds plan

For all LEAs that receive ESSER III grant funding, TEA is required to supply USDE with the URLs for these two plans.

How to Submit Plan URLs
Any LEA that receives ARP ESSER III grant funding is required to submit the URLs for each of its required plans to TEA. To provide new or updated URLs:

  1. LEAs need to review the ARP ESSER III LEA Plans report verify that both links listed for their respective LEA are the most accurate and up-to-date links.
  2. If links are not correct or up-to-date, LEAs can resubmit correct URLs through the ESSER Compliance WorkApp.
    1. LEA contacts that have current access to submit EDGAR forms for TEA prior approval have access to make these changes.
    2. A Help Form and resources are available within the compliance system to address questions, concerns, or request for technical assistance.
  3. If the information is correct, no further action is required.

ARP ESSER III LEA Plans
LEA plans can be found here.

ESSER Training and Resources

TEA staff presented the following material on the ARP ESSER III grant and application on May 11 and 14, 2021:

The following additional resources apply to the ESSER I, CRRSA ESSER II, and ARP ESSER III grant programs.

  • ESSER FAQ: Answers to frequently asked questions are listed in the ESSER FAQ. The FAQ will be updated regularly. Use the ESSER FAQ Submission form to submit new ESSER questions to TEA staff.
  • ESSER Side-by-Side: The ESSER Side-by-Side Requirements Document provides an overview of the three ESSER grants.
  • Statewide Training: TEA staff presented a statewide training on the ESSER grants in May 2021. The Grant Program Overview provides information applicable to the ESSER grant applications and requirements.

ESSER Forms

To meet ESSER requirements, TEA has developed the following forms:

LEA Application

The ARP ESSER III application is available from the TEA Grant Opportunities page. Select "2020-2023 ARP ESSER III Federal Grant Application" from the Application Name field, or search for "ARP".

RFA materials from the application are also available here:

ESSER III State Plan

In accordance with the Approved Texas State Plan for ARP ESSER III, TEA has randomly selected LEAs to validate compliance with the Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services (RIPICS) Plan as well as other ARP ESSER III program compliance indicators.

List of LEAs chosen for random validation. Validations will be performed between September 20 and December 31, 2021.

Also available is the Required data posting: Appendix A: School Operating Status and Instructional Mode Data (June 14, 2021).

USDE Resources

The US Department of Education has developed the following ARP ESSER III resources.

ARP ESSER III Grant Program Announcement

The following links lead to the original announcements of ARP ESSER III grant funding in Texas:

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