ERIC Number: ED674533
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jan
Pages: 69
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: 0000-00-00
COVID Relief Annual Update: Legislative Report 2024. Pursuant to 22-2-146, C.R.S.
Colorado Department of Education
Three primary rounds of COVID relief funding were provided to Colorado between March 2020 and March 2021. These federal funding sources were: (1) the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March 2020; (2) the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act in December 2020; and (3) the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act in March 2021. This report provides the total amounts that the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) received and was authorized to spend at the state level under each act; the designated purposes on which the Department spent the funds received; the specific amount allotted to each purpose; and data the Department has concerning the results and/or impacts for each funded purpose. This report is submitted to meet the legislative requirements as defined in section 22-2-146, C.R.S. The vast majority of COVID relief funds received by the CDE was funded through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, established in the CARES Act (ESSER I), and further funded under the CRRSA Act (ESSER II) and the ARP Act (ESSER III). These funds were used to provide vital support to Colorado local education agencies (LEAs) and schools as they worked to transition to remote programs, reopen schools safely, maximize in-person instructional time, and address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students, educators, and families. Eligible uses of funds included: implementing actionable strategies to meet the urgent needs of students and educators as LEAs and schools have worked to return to and safely sustain in-person instruction, addressing the educational inequities that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and addressing students' social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs. Colorado received more than $1.8 billion in ESSER funds across the three rounds of federal COVID relief funding. Of these ESSER funds, 90% ($1.6 billion) was distributed directly to LEAs through Part A of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). The remaining 10% of ESSER funds ($180.7 million) were reserved by CDE to meet state-level needs. The CARES, CRSSA, and ARP Acts also created non-ESSER funds for a variety of programs that provided funding for education-related recovery needs. These included Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER), Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (EANS), the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF), and State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF). Additional programs related to pandemic recovery in education include the Child Nutrition, Homeless Children and Youth, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and Library Programs, totaling an additional $907.1 million in funding for Colorado. Across three federal legislative acts, Colorado received over $2.7 billion in COVID relief funds for K-12 education. As mentioned previously, the majority of relief funds were administered through the ESSER 90% allocation program ($1.6 billion). The remaining funds have supported a variety of programs aimed at addressing student needs.
Descriptors: COVID-19, Federal Aid, Federal Legislation, Pandemics, Emergency Programs, Elementary Secondary Education, Grants, Equal Education, Educational Legislation, Students with Disabilities, Resource Allocation, Nutrition, Federal Programs, Welfare Services, Lunch Programs, Libraries
Colorado Department of Education. State Office Building, 201 East Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80203. Tel: 303-866-6600; Fax: 303-830-0793; Web site: http://www.cde.state.co.us
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: Policymakers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Colorado Department of Education (CDE)
Identifiers - Location: Colorado
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act 2020; American Rescue Plan Act 2021; Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund; Emergency Assistance to Non Public Schools Fund; Governors Emergency Education Relief Fund; Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); National School Lunch Act 1970; Library Services and Technology Act 1996
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A


