Federal pandemic relief measures brought in $178 million to Knox County Schools. The money paid for technology upgrades, tutors and career empowerment.
But the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund expires this year, and school districts around the country have to make decisions about what programs to continue when only local and state taxpayers are footing the bill.
Knox County Schools administrators framed their budgets knowing the money was a temporary boost. As with every other major initiative, the use of ESSER funds was aligned with the four priorities laid out by Superintendent Jon Rysewyk.
In 2021, in a bid to close learning gaps, the federal government announced an investment of over $276 billion, overseen by the U.S. Department of Education. Tennessee received $4.2 billion in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief to be distributed in three phases.
Rysewyk took over in 2022, almost a year after the first round of ESSER funding.
The federal dollars supplemented the programs the district already had in the works, chief financial officer Ron McPherson told Knox News. The money was intended to address a safe return to in-person learning, mitigate learnings gaps and prepare for the long-term impact of the pandemic.
More than half the ESSER funds – nearly 52% – was spent on the district’s “success for every student” priority-related initiatives such as tutoring which helped mend learning gaps.
ESSER funds had to be used to break down learning barriers created by the pandemic or prevent others from worsening, McPherson said.
For Knox County, the learning gap meant third grade English language proficiency fell 5%, middle schoolers’ math proficiency fell over 6% and chronic absenteeism increased over 9%, according to data shared by district administrators.
The learning gap was spread across all student groups and all grade levels.
How did Knox County Schools use ESSER dollars?
The district’s philosophy was to use the one-time dollars as sustainably as possible. Administrators bought laptops for all students and paid for tutors and career coaches.
All teachers, educational assistants and students received a new laptop. The district bought 5,070 laptops at a cost of $5.3 million for teachers and assistants, and 63,797 Chromebooks for students for $17.4 million.
Additionally, the district bought 3,742 large interactive screen displays for every classroom at cost of $10.5 million.
And while there used to be limited emphasis on career preparedness, that has changed, according to a presentation by district leaders shared with Knox News.
What happens to the ESSER-funded tutoring program?
Three years ago, the district began a program with an end in mind, Rysewyk said. Administrators realized tutoring did work and hiring them was “an excellent strategy,” he said.
Those hired for the job knew it was temporary.
“Tutors were funded through ESSER, which was a temporary funding source. When they were hired, all tutors were notified that their positions were temporary due to the temporary nature of the position’s funding source,” district spokeswoman Carly Harrington said in a statement to Knox News.
“The KCS Talent Department is also working with employees in ESSER-funded positions to identify new opportunities to continue serving at KCS.”
Coupled with a change in law regarding third-grade retention especially, the need for tutoring has stuck around.
In the last two years, several hundred tutors were hired, both part-time and full-time. Now that the funding is ending, the district will hire 142 part-time literacy tutors who will each work 25 hours a week.
This will open up the position to retired teachers, Rysewyk said.
Parents and families will see some changes. Students with the greatest needs will be given the highest priority and then principals will reach as many kids as possible, Rysewyk said.
Julie Gorman, a retired elementary school teacher of 30 years, implored the Knox County Board of Education to find ways to continue the program as robustly as possible.
Gorman worked part-time at Mount Olive Elementary School as a tutor after she retired.
“We’ve always had kids who need that extra support and that extra boost,” Gorman said. “It’s like being on the fence. With some extra support the students could be pushed up or they could go the other way.”
She’s seen tutors help students with behavior problems, Gorman added, so their value is more than what’s presented on the surface.
What happens next?
The upcoming academic year budget will have a hole with the absence of ESSER funds. The loss in funding means positions will be cut or moved.
“Student enrollment has shifted significantly throughout the county. As a result, we are realigning teaching positions to reflect current student enrollment,” the district said in a statement to Knox News. “This means that some schools may lose positions while others gain positions. The KCS Talent Department is committed to finding placements for employees at schools that have experienced reductions.”
Some initiatives such as 865 academies, the district’s career-focused learning model for high schools, will continue but will be moved to the district’s general budget.
The Knox County school board will vote on the budget at its meeting at 5 p.m. April 25 at 500 W. Summit Hill Drive. The budget document can be found online at: shorturl.at/tvyz9.
Areena Arora, data and investigative reporter for Knox News, can be reached by email at areena.arora@knoxnews.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @AreenaArora.
