Through the COVID-19 pandemic, school districts in Illinois have received financial assistance in the form of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.

With the nation’s response to the pandemic continuing to wind down, school districts are now left to use whatever remains of their allotted ESSER money.

The Illinois State Board of Education’s ESSER Spending Dashboard, made available recently, breaks down how every school district in the state made use of its federal assistance.

Monroe County’s largest school district, Waterloo, received a total of $1,508,853 from all three ESSER grants, with the first round of funding starting at $119,134, then $401,625, with ESSER III funds reaching $988,094.

As of today, Waterloo has spent a total of $767,930 from its ESSER funds, with much of the second and third wave funds remaining.

Waterloo School District Curriculum Coordinator John Schmieg explained that the remainder of the district’s ESSER funds are expected to largely be put toward salary payments for positions added during the height of pandemic protocols.

Salaries have made up 46.89 percent of Waterloo’s ESSER spending, with the next biggest expenditure being supplies and materials at 31.38 percent.

Schmieg said at least five teaching positions – added to help reduce class size during COVID protocols – and three social worker positions contribute to salaries taking up just under half of ESSER funds.

Waterloo Superintendent of Schools Brian Charron said a question for the district now is what positions added during the pandemic will be maintainable as the end of that “one-time hit” to financial resources is now on the horizon.

Charron also said the federal funding ended up being a major boon for the school, with some in the district wishing to make the temporary pandemic additions to staff more permanent.

“I think these funds have been a significant benefit to helping students that have fallen off the right track to get back on the right path academically,” Charron said.

Schmieg spoke similarly about the benefits of the funding, noting the district would have had a “far more difficult time” during pandemic protocols without the help.

Columbia ended up receiving a little more than half of Waterloo’s total at $838,021 in ESSER funding. The first round provided just $58,719, the second grew to $220,672 and the third ended at $558,630.

Columbia Superintendent of Schools Chris Grode noted that ESSER funds were provided based on need, accounting for the difference in funds received by Columbia compared to other districts.

Nearly all of Columbia’s ESSER funds have been used, with only $11,619 remaining from ESSER III.

Columbia’s ESSER funds were even more focused on salaries than Waterloo, with 70.36 percent dedicated to paying for temporary positions added over the last two years and the remainder split between supplies and materials and various other categories.

Grode said the district’s priority with the first wave of ESSER funding was on purchasing Chromebooks to keep students participating during the height of quarantine protocols.

It was during the second and third waves that the district’s focus shifted to salaries for temporary positions, many of which ended up as still ongoing positions following several individuals retiring or stepping away.

In a distinct contrast to Waterloo, Grode said Columbia would have managed decently without the ESSER assistance.

“We would have been fine,” Grode said. “We didn’t get much. Not compared to – I mean, there were districts that got millions. We did not get as much, and we put it into salaries. We would have been fine.”

As the smallest district in Monroe County, Valmeyer received a total of just $188,439 in ESSER funds, consisting of $14,617, $49,272 and $124,550 each wave.

Currently, the district has spent all of the funds provided by the first and second waves, with all of Valmeyer’s ESSER III funds still available.

Almost all of Valmeyer’s ESSER funds were used for salaries – 69.30 percent – and supplies and materials – 29.95 percent.

According to an overview of ESSER funds provided by Valmeyer Superintendent of Schools Eric Frankford, salary expenditures largely consisted of contracts with Human Support Services for additional social work and counseling for students, with the next largest salary item being classroom assistance for teachers.

Valmeyer’s ESSER-paid supplies largely consist of Chromebooks, various equipment and supplies for students with sensory needs and additional instructional supplies to help combat learning loss, he said.