BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced today the U.S. Department of Education (ED) awarded a combined $33,297,699 to the state of North Dakota through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund as allocated by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to support continued learning for K-12 students whose educations have been disrupted by the impacts of COVID-19.
Local education leaders are empowered with the flexibility to determine how to use their funds from the ESSER Fund whether it be for immediate needs, such as tools and resources for distance education, ensuring student health and safety, or developing and implementing plans for the next school year, as long as they are used in ways that comply with applicable federal education laws. State education agencies (SEAs) must allocate 90% of their ESSER funds to local education agencies (LEAs), including public charter schools, in proportion to the amount of fiscal year 2019 funds the LEA received through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
The funding allocations announced today come as part of a more than $13.2 billion nation-wide investment in emergency coronavirus relief funds to support continued education for K-12 students. For more information, please visit Senator Cramer’s COVID-19 webpage here.