From an email update sent from Americans for the Arts:

Re: Release of Federal Education Funds and Connection to Arts Education 

Summary: This past week, the U.S. Department of Education began to approve state plans for using the  COVID-19 relief funds approved by Congress – so far 11 state plans have been approved. This step brings  additional resources (estimated to be $2,637 per pupil nationally) to states, school districts and schools that  can mean support for arts education.  

Background: Since March 2020, in response to the pandemic, Congress has approved three stages of  education funds. In March 2021, Congress passed, and President Biden signed, the American Rescue Plan  which included nearly $122 billion in Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funds to  support schools, students and educators. In April, the U.S. Department of Education released to state  education departments two-thirds of these funds ($81 billion). The remaining $41 billion was to become  available upon approval of their state ESSER plans – that’s the step the Department took today. 

What’s Happening: Since June, the Department has posted the plans from 40 states on how they would utilize  the ESSER funds. All submitted state plans, including very helpful Fact Sheets and Highlights are posted here. 

So far, the Department has approved plans from: Arkansas, Massachusetts, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode  Island, South Dakota, and Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington D.C. and West Virginia. 

These plans typically include support for the following uses of these funds: 

✓ Accelerating and sustaining the safe return to in-person instruction 

✓ Implementing COVID-19 prevention and mitigation strategies, including expanding access to  vaccinations for school staff and students 

✓ Offering summer learning and enrichment programs 

✓ Providing social, emotional, and mental health support to students 

✓ Addressing the academic impact of lost instructional time 

What Should Arts Education Advocates Do With This Information? As often the case in arts education policy,  there can be quite a distance between federal funds and the local provision of arts education. In reviewing the  uses of the funds mentioned above, many of them offer connections to the benefits provided by a quality arts  education. Please consider the following resources when making the case to your education decisionmakers about how your state plan and local implementation should include arts education strategies.