In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, states and districts received the largest ever infusion of non-recurring federal grant money to support student recovery. In a previous brief, the authors detailed Rhode Island school districts' use of federal recovery funds for spending on student-facing and administrative personnel. While personnel spending was by far the largest category of ESSER (the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund), district spending also spiked in other key areas. This brief focuses on the ways that ESSER dollars changed district contracting and purchases--specifically how districts have shifted spending in curriculum, professional development, and technology, as a result of the flexibility provided by ESSER funding. In this brief, the authors find that districts spent considerable sums on external trainings, coaching, and instructional materials aimed at building capability among existing staff members. These investments in materials and services have the potential to serve as long-term investments that create payoffs that endure beyond the ESSER funding cutoff in 2024; they also represent large bets and shifts in spending patterns that should be tracked and evaluated to monitor their effects over time.