Pittsburgh Public Schools outlines long-term changes supported by federal ESSER funds

Pittsburgh Public Schools will use federal dollars to purchase new technology, air purifiers and other supplies to update the district in myriad ways, leaders said at a news conference Friday.

District leaders outlined their plans for the covid-19 Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds last week, while also announcing their intentions to reopen all school buildings for full-time, in-person instruction, five days a week.

The first allocation of ESSER funds, amounting to $11.1 million, was used to address the pandemic early on. Those funds were primarily spent on new student and staff devices, PPE and sanitary supplies, said Chief Financial Officer Ron Joseph.

Now the district is awaiting final approval for the proposed uses of ESSER II funds, the second allocation, which leaders plan to spend on air purifiers, building and network upgrades, summer programming, student and staff devices and several other items. The ESSER II allocation to PPS will be around $50.1 million.

PPS’s summer BOOST program, a new summer learning curriculum for students in grades K-11, is among the programs to be supported by the ESSER II, said Chief Academic Officer Minika Jenkins. BOOST will begin June 22 and will provide opportunities for academic enrichment, social emotional learning, youth employment and other activities. About 4,500 students are slated to attend, Jenkins said Friday.

Jenkins said the district also hopes to use funds for programs fostering teacher development, gathering and using district data and supporting English language learners and their families — many programs that were put in place during the pandemic, which PPS hopes to continue.

“We had a lot of needs with regards to translation services over the course of the pandemic, so we want to continue being able to provide those as we move into the new year,” she said.

Classrooms themselves will be redesigned to incorporate new technology and safety features, district leaders said. The district surveyed building leaders and found a need for projectors and dry-erase whiteboards, for instance. PPS will also purchase supplies to sanitize the buildings and to improve indoor air quality – updating some traditional HVAC systems with high-quality air filters.

“We’re also requesting reimbursement for the costs associated with building isolation rooms and nurses office renovations in the buildings throughout the district,” added Michael McNamara, interim chief operations officer.

A third allocation of ESSER funds was approved by the American Rescue Plan Act in March. Pittsburgh Public Schools’ allocation of ESSER III will be around $100 million, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s website. PPS will tentatively use the money to address learning loss that occurred during the pandemic, as well as additional facility upgrades, Joseph said.

“That’s about not only addressing our learning loss, but positioning the district in a manner where we can enhance and accelerate student achievement,” he said. ESSER III funds will also be used to “make long-term changes to our facilities to ensure that we have all the systems in place to mitigate the spread of any pandemic, should another pandemic occur.”

Jenkins said district plans to use some ESSER III funds to purchase new textbooks and other curricular materials, after the pandemic highlighted how many of its instructional materials are outdated.

ESSER III will also be used to help the district expand professional development opportunities for teachers, and to develop external partnerships with colleges, universities and local industries. Jenkins said the district will hold public sessions in June to collect opinions from the community on how to spend the money before before submitting an application for ESSER III funds in September.

“We are trying not to be superficial in regards to this work,” said Chief of Staff Errika Fearby Jones. “Not only does ESSER require us to engage deeply with teachers, parents, etc., that’s also the trait of this administration, to have engagement.”