Hartford Public Schools is eligible to apply for $45.7 million in ESSER II funds. Their approach to spending and sustainability focuses on four CSDE state-level priorities: (1) Supports must be targeted and in response to learning loss assessments, prioritizing vulnerable populations; (2) Initiatives to engage families and community, including providing families with skills to support student learning; (3) Behavioral and mental health services as well as PPE; and (4) Technology infrastructure to maintain and upgrade student access and educational technology professional learning.

Principles articulated in this presentation for investing ESSER funds for sustainable impact include the need to understand and quantify students’ recovery needs with an equity lens. Districts must invest in proven, high-impact strategies. They must center spending on strategies that specifically target recovery and invest deliberately in equity. Spending must be planned with an eye toward the future. Decision-making roles must be clarified and made flexible. Finally, districts must continually adapt based on their context and what works.