Enjoy the ESSER Cliff with Creative Funding Paragliders

Outline

After this session, participants will be able to:
- Objective 1 - Outline current school or district programs or priorities that would benefit from additional funding sources;
- Objective 2 - Identify new funding resources for the school or district programs and priorities;
- Objective 3 - Create action steps for their school or district to secure new funding sources within the next 12 months.

Content and engagement -
- What - Participants will see how school or district leaders can secure additional funding for their priority programs after ESSER funds have dried up. They will see how I work with my districts and through planning and persistence, ensure programs have continuous sources of funding.

- How - As the presenter, I will challenge the participants to seek new sources of funding in order to take their priorities and programs to the next level. I will share many funding examples from a wide variety of sources.

- Activities - First, participants will reflect and list their top programs that would benefit from additional funding sources. Second, they will review a list of current funding sources and match them with their program needs. Third, participants will create an action plan of next steps that they can implement over the next 12 months.

Time - Approximately 8 minutes will be spent on each objective.

Process -
- Objective 1 - individual reflection and partner share
- Objective 2 - peer to peer interaction in a small group
- Objective 3 - individual reflection and partner share

Supporting research

Research resources include but not limited to:
- The Effect of Extra School Funding on Students’ Academic Achievements under a Centralized School Financing System (2023) - https://direct.mit.edu/edfp/article/18/1/1/109966/The-Effect-of-Extra-School-Funding-on-Students
- The Benefits of Increased School Spending (2017) - https://www.ipr.northwestern.edu/documents/policy-briefs/school-spending-policy-research-brief-Jackson.pdf
- End of Pandemic Funding for Schools Requires States and Districts to Plan (2024) - https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2024/08/14/end-of-pandemic-funding-for-schools-requires-states-and-districts-to-plan
- Returns to School Spending in Rural America:
Evidence from Wisconsin’s Sparsity Aid Program (2023) - https://edworkingpapers.com/sites/default/files/ai23-724.pdf