The Arkansas Legislative Council – PEER Subcommittee approved the following Department of Education Requests for American Rescue Plan Appropriation for Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund Grants during its meeting this morning:
- Pulaski County – plan does not meet the recommendations of the ALC and they provided justification
- Cave City – modified plan to meet the recommendations of the ALC
- Lincoln – plan does not meet the recommendations of the ALC and they provided justification
- Hoxie – plan meets recommendations of ALC
- Perryville – modified plan to meet the recommendations of the ALC
- Carlisle – plan does not meet the recommendations of the ALC and they provided justification
- Armorel – plan does not meet the recommendations of the ALC and they provided justification
- Mountain Home – plan meets recommendations of ALC
- Bismarck – plan meets recommendations of ALC
- Riverview – plan does not meet the recommendations of the ALC and they provided justification
- West Fork School District – plan does not meet the recommendations of the ALC and they provided justification
- Nettleton – plan meets recommendations of ALC
- Fountain Lake – plan meets recommendations of ALC
- Helena/West Helena – modified plan to meet the recommendations of the ALC
- Danville – plan meets recommendations of ALC
- Ashdown – plan meets recommendations of ALC
- Conway – plan meets recommendations of ALC
- De Queen – modified plan to meet the recommendations of the ALC
- Prescott – plan does not meet the recommendations of the ALC and they provided justification
- Premier High School of Arkansas – plan meets recommendations of ALC
- Premier High School of North Little Rock – plan meets recommendations of ALC
- Premier High School Springdale – plan meets recommendations of ALC
- Hamburg – modified plan to meet the recommendations of the ALC
- Arkansas Virtual Academy – plan does not meet the recommendations of the ALC and they provided justification
- South Pike County – plan does not meet the recommendations of the ALC and they provided justification
- Pea Ridge – plan does not meet the recommendations of the ALC and they provided justification
- South Conway County – plan does not meet the recommendations of the ALC and they provided justification
- Lamar – modified plan to meet the recommendations of the ALC
- Lavaca – plan does not meet the recommendations of the ALC and they provided justification
- Academics Plus Charter Schools, Inc. – plan does not meet the recommendations of the ALC and they provided justification
- Jacksonville North Pulaski – modified plan to meet the recommendations of the ALC
- Lee County – modified plan to meet the recommendations of the ALC
- Earle – plan does not meet the recommendations of the ALC and they provided justification
- Prairie Grove – plan does not meet the recommendations of the ALC and they provided justification
- Pine Bluff – plan meets recommendations of ALC
In July the ALC voted to expunge the vote by which they approved $500 million spending authority for the Arkansas Department of Education – Division of Elementary and Secondary Education undre ARP ESSER, and recommended:
- That the school districts utilize available ESSER funds to provide retention and recruitment bonuses to teachers in the amount of $5,000 each, full-time classified school district staff in the amount of $2,500 each, and part-time classified staff in amounts that are half of those awarded to their full-time counterparts.
- The Arkansas Department of Education will bring to the ALC-PEER Subcommittee specific plans for each school district’s use of the funds as recommended by ALC, and if the school district is unable or unwilling to meet those recommendations, a comprehensive statement as to why the school district is unable or unwilling to utilize the ESSER funds in this manner.
Each school had to answer the following questions:
- Does the district’s current ARP ESSER Use of Funds plan meet the recommendations of ALC?
- If not, has the district revised the ARP ESSER Use of Funds plan to meet the recommendations of ALC?
- If the plan does not meet the recommendations and has not been revised to meet the recommendations, districts must submit a justification as well as a link to their current ARP ESSER Use of Funds Plan.
A spreadsheet of the responses from the school districts listed above can be found online at https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Calendars/Attachment?committee=020&agenda=25062&file=M.+DOE+ARPA+Request+2.pdf.