In March 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act, also known as the ARP Act, was signed into law. The bill dedicated $122 billion for K-12 schools across the country through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III funds.

Thanks to the federal law, Spring ISD is eligible for $101 million in one-time funds to overcome learning losses and to accelerate academic growth in the wake of the pandemic.

As part of the district’s process to apply for these funds, Spring ISD recently submitted its Recovery Plan to the Texas Education Agency for review and approval. In drafting this document, the district has spent several months working with stakeholders and incorporating that feedback to develop its Recovery Plan, including a community survey and meetings with teachers, parents, students, advisory groups and district leaders. 

The result of this work is our Recovery Plan, focused on accelerated learning to be implemented this 2023-24 school year to ensure that all of our students are able to recover successfully from the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our framework is based on five tenets: 

• Highly Effective Principals and Teachers

• Aligned Curriculum & Ongoing Progress Measures

• Maximize Learning Time

• High Dosage Tutoring 

• Safe & Secure Learning Environment

Under each of these tenets, we’ve detailed specific work we plan to do with the expected outcomes. Throughout the year, we will be checking our progress and providing updates to our Board of Trustees. 

Our goal is simple: See our student outcomes improve, whether it’s on STAAR/EOC testing or other benchmark assessments. We’ll also be looking at attendance, discipline, parent engagement, graduation, CTE participation and other important measures of success. 

We’re also committed to transparency and ongoing feedback. Should you have any questions or concerns about our Recovery Plan, we encourage you to let us know by visiting: website. Once on our elevate landing page, please leave your feedback under the area titled Spring ISD Recovery Plan 2021-22.

What does ESSER stand for?
ESSER stands for Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief. 

How has the district been gathering feedback on its Recovery Plan?
Since early 2021, the district has been meeting with advisory groups, educators, principals, district leaders, parents and other stakeholders to solicit feedback that could be used to develop and refine its plan. This past spring, we also surveyed our community to ask for their input. 

We will continue to incorporate feedback from any stakeholders who visits website . Once on our elevate landing page, please leave your feedback under the area titled Spring ISD Recovery Plan 2021-22.

What is the Texas Education Agency’s role in how these funds are used?
20% of the ESSER III funds must be set aside to address the academic impact of lost instructional time through the implementation of evidence-based interventions such as summer learning or summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive after school programs, or extended school year. The 20% is the minimum amount required however districts can spend more. In addition, the TEA required districts to engage in meaningful consultation with stakeholders and give the public an opportunity to provide input into the development of the plan. 

The final plan must then be posted on the website.

Who did Spring ISD consult as it developed its plan?
The district consulted students, families, school and district administrators, teachers, principals, advisory groups, including the Advisory Committee on Education (ACE), the Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) and the Ministerial Alliance. We also requested input from any stakeholder representing the interests of students who are homeless, migratory, underserved, in foster care, disabled or English Language Learners.  

How does our Spring ISD Recovery Plan also address the safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of service?
As part of our Recovery Plan, we have incorporated CDC safety recommendations as appropriate in our COVID-19 Safe Return Protocols and Processes.

What’s next with the district’s Recovery Plan?
We will review our plan at least every six months but more often if necessary to incorporate new feedback from stakeholders or to include new CDC guidance related to COVID-19 in schools.