The cost of a pandemic education is going up — or down, depending on how you look at it.

Gov. Tom Wolf announced Wednesday the U.S. Department of Education approved Pennsylvania's application for one-time federal emergency funds.

The state's Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund application — which asks for $523.8 million — was submitted to secure money to help districts respond to COVID-19.

“Our schools and educators have been working tirelessly to help students and their families during this crisis,” Wolf said this week. “These efforts must be paired with investments that reflect the unprecedented scale of this challenge.”

But when it comes to local districts, obtaining the emergency money might not be as cut and dry as it sounds.

Michael Panza, Moniteau School Board president, isn't sure the ESSER money will act as additional funding. It might be used instead of money the state was planning to issue.

There are questions to be asked, according to Panza.

“Are these districts really going to get this money?” Panza asked. “Never spend the money until you have it.”

John D'Amore, business manager for Moniteau School District, said the list the state has issued of district allotments may be “a little deceiving.”

“There's just too much up in the air,” D'Amore said.

CARES Act funding

The Pennsylvania Department of Education said it submitted an ESSER application May 4. Under the CARES Act, at least 90 percent of the funding will go to public and charter schools.

That's equivalent to $471 million.

Education outlets are supposed to receive “an amount proportional to federal Title I-A funds” dispersed in 2019 for the federal Every Student Succeeds Act.

In Butler County, public school districts are slated to receive $2.99 million of those allotments.

“Anything that's going to help is well-received,” said John Kennedy, president of Mars Area School Board. “Anything that we can get is less that the taxpayers will be burdened with.”

Mars is anticipated to receive $142,281 in an ESSER subgrant. Kennedy expects the district will apply for its allotment by the end of the week. The money might go toward technology purchases as they relate to remote learning. But it's too early in the process to know for sure, according to Kennedy.

Waiting game

Mars Area has paused its planning of the 2020-21 budget until tax numbers become a little clearer. Officials aren't sure where the ESSER funding will fit in next year.

“I don't know what it's going to supplement,” Kennedy said. “We want to see where we're at.”

Al Vavro, president of Butler Area School Board, said his district is facing a similar situation.

While Butler Area's anticipated $1,318,431 ESSER subgrant could help cover costs associated with “many, many directives and mandates,” Vavro said specific needs must be discussed with district administration.

The state hasn't given districts an extension on approving next year's budget, which means budgets must be approved by June 30. Working ESSER funding into that planning process is challenging, according to acting Butler Area business manager Nick Morelli.

“We included these revenues in our budget proposal,” Morelli said. “We're waiting to see, though, how these funds fit into the overall (state) budget.”

Morelli said while there may be “a twist” in how the state chooses to handle the ESSER funds, Butler Area will be able to get through the next school year. Vavro is hoping the funding will come in as extra money.

“We will put it to good use,” Vavro said. “School districts are all under a great amount of pressure.”

The Department of Education maintains the ESSER funding can be used for many things, such as food service, professional training, technology, sanitization, extra programming and mental health support.

Vavro said any supplemental funding will help when it comes to budgeting for next year.

“We refuse to raise taxes during this financial crisis,” Vavro said. “(But) we want to make sure that we're developing a quality education for our kiddos.”

Teamwork is key

Panza said when districts receive funding, deciding how to use it should be a group effort. The decision should include input from the school board, district administrators and the “people in the trenches” — in other words, teachers.

“There's a variety of things that the school district can do,” Panza said. “It will be a group effort.”

D'Amore said one of the problems with planning for next year is that many districts aren't sure what next year will look like.

Pedro Rivera, Pennsylvania's secretary of education, said Monday he expects students will return to school in the fall.

But he did not guarantee it.

“We're just not sure,” D'Amore said. “The issues that we're facing now potentially are a little bit undefined.”

D'Amore said Moniteau — like other districts — is waiting to see how the state handles things.

Districts receive information from the state through a few communication channels. Panza said one of those channels is the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. Another is through superintendents.

“I believe that we have great communication with our superintendent,” Panza said.

Being patient

Districts can now apply through the Department of Education for their allocations. Funds are expected to be dispersed over the next few weeks, and must be used by September 2022.

The state plans to use remaining ESSER money for initiatives related to the pandemic, such as expanding the scope of remote learning.

Although spending the allocations depends on the parameters surrounding them, Kennedy expects they'll be put to use before the 2022 deadline.

Most educational outlets have something for which they could use additional funding.

“Every district is different,” Kennedy said. “In Butler County, you have one extreme to the other.”

“These are some challenging times,” added Morelli.

“My position is that we really need to wait and see,” Panza concluded. “We need to see exactly what are the rules.”