Over $422 million in pandemic-related education funds remain unspent in Mississippi

• The Mississippi Department of Education plans to request an extension to the liquidation deadline from the federal government by October.

As of the first of August, only a handful of school districts in Mississippi have spent all of the federal pandemic-related funding provided to the state’s K-12 education system through the America Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ARP ESSER.

However, the increases in spending through the federal funding helped boost education gains in the Magnolia State, lawmakers say.

What Mississippi Received in ARP ESSER Funding

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government provided $1.4 billion to the state of Mississippi’s Department of Education (MDE) through the ARP ESSER in March of 2021. Three years later, a number of Mississippi school districts still have large portions of that funding available to them, while a most have spent the vast majority, if not all, of the monies.

The purpose of the ESSER funds was to assist in the cost of reopening schools safely while reducing the impact of the pandemic on students and teachers.

Information from MDE shows that of the $1.4 billion allocated to Mississippi in that third round of federal funding, over $422 million has not been spent as of August 1, 2024, according to updated information provided by MDE this week.

The top three categories receiving the most funding, according to MDE, included $377 million for school facility improvements, $360 million for learning loss, and $151 million for improving the air quality of facilities.

The chart below shows the full list of how the funds were budgeted.

Millions Remain Available for Mississippi Schools

The five school districts that received the most in allocations of ARP ESSER funds are:

• Jackson Public School District – $108.9 million
• Harrison County School District – $42.7 million
• Greenville Public School District – $37.8 million
• Desoto County School District – $37.2 million
• Greenwood-LeFlore Consolidated School District – $36 million.

According to information provided to Magnolia Tribune by MDE, Jackson Public School District has been reimbursed $52.1 million, leaving 52 percent of the funds available. A similar trend can be seen in the Greenville and Greenwood-LeFlore districts, as 69 percent and 53 percent, respectively, of funds are remaining.

In the Harrison County, 49 percent of funds remain available while in DeSoto County, just 18 percent is left to be spent.

Harrison County School District has been reimbursed $21.8 million, Greenville Public School District was reimbursed $11.7 million, Desoto County School District requested $30.5 million in reimbursements and Greenwood-LeFlore Consolidated School District has been reimbursed about $16.8 million.

The updated information shows that a small number of school districts have spent nearly all of their allocation, including Biloxi School District ($0.05 remaining), Clinton Public School District ($1,820.55 remaining), Winona-Montgomery Consolidated School District ($0 remaining) and Senatobia Municipal School District ($0 remaining), to name a few.

ARP ESSER funds can be used to purchase technology for classrooms and online instruction, summer learning programs, to address the needs of low-income students, provide for the sanitization of facilities, and professional development for teachers, as well as a variety of other uses that are necessary to maintain operations and continuity of services and continuing to employ existing staff.

Asking for More Time to Spend the Federal Monies

The deadline to have all funding obligated to a project or need is September 30, 2024.

MDE Federal Programs Executive Director Dr. Judy Nelson said districts have the ability to request reimbursement of spent funds on a monthly basis. The current liquidation deadline (or deadline for each district to request reimbursement) is December 30, 2024, but Nelson said MDE plans to request an extension to the liquidation deadline of February 2026.

Nelson expects that request to be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education by October to prevent a gap in access to the ARP ESSER funds.

“We want to submit that request earlier so that there is no break in the timeline,” Nelson said, adding that any funding that has not been reimbursed by April 2026 will have to be returned to the U.S. Department of Education.

What Legislative Education Chairs are Saying

State Representative Rob Roberson (R), chairman of the House Education Committe, told Magnolia Tribune that he plans to sit down with new State Superintendent, Dr. Lance Evans, to ensure the ARP ESSER funding process is transparent and simple.

State Senator Dennis DeBar (R) said that he is relying on MDE to ensure that money is spent appropriately. DeBar, the Senate Education Committee Chairman, noted that recent gains in education within Mississippi have been tied to increases in funding, including the ESSER funds.  

“I’ve said that many times, that I believe there is a direct correlation to the amount of money spent in education these last few years to the progress made in education,” Senator DeBar said. “So yes, I definitely agree, and I think that’s exactly why we need to come in and fully fund the student funding formula again.”

DeBar added there is also a need for more special education and STEM teachers in this state. This past year, the University of Southern Mississippi had only one student in the university’s graduating class receive a degree in math. That graduate has since been approached by a number of school districts to join their faculty, DeBar said.

To help drive more SPED and STEM teachers, Senator DeBar said he is considering legislation that would provide incentives, possibly in the form of monetary stipends.

“I think that’s going to be my priority going into next session is making sure we fully fund the formula and then trying to find ways to get more STEM and SPED teachers to start teaching at our schools,” DeBar said.