U.S. Department of Education Approves Indiana’s Plan for Use of American Rescue Plan Funds to Support K-12 Schools and Students, Distributes Remaining $666 Million To State

Focus on the students most impacted by the pandemic

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Indiana ARP ESSER State Plan Highlights Total ARP ESSER allocation for Indiana: $ 1,996,145,076 ARP ESSER funding released to Indiana on March 24, 2021: $ 1,329,822,704 ARP ESSER funding released to Indiana on August 12, 2021: $ 666,322,372 2020-2021 Preliminary Statewide Enrollment: 1,033,964 Top Priorities within Indiana’s Plan: • Strengthen primary literacy instruction, including by helping schools and communities strengthen, expand, and create effective K-12 pathways & linkages to postsecondary opportunities, and supporting schools to meet the needs of educators as schools re-open in the fall. • Improve guidance, support, and accessible data for those recruiting, educating, and mentoring rising educators. • Invest in a modernized data system to accurately report performance data and inform local decision-making. • Develop a suite of multidisciplinary online courses that can be deployed virtually or in-person. Highlights of Indiana’s Plan: • Returning to In Person Learning in 2021: All Indiana schools are expected to return to inperson instruction for the 2021-2022 school year. • Safely Reopening Schools and Sustaining Safe Operations: The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) will continue to work alongside the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) to provide guidance on safely maintaining the health of students, educators, and other staff. • Addressing the Academic Impact of Lost Instructional Time & Investing in Summer Learning and Expanded Afterschool Programs: IDOE will be soliciting public comment through September 5 to inform its selection of evidence-based interventions to address the impact of lost instructional time, summer learning, and afterschool programs. Interventions that may incentivize and support local communities to reimagine educational opportunities and multidisciplinary course frameworks. • Staffing to Support Students’ Needs: IDOE will launch a program to provide over $2.5 million in ARP ESSER funds and IDEA, Part B funds to support licensure in high-need areas based on the Indiana Licensure Report. This report is made publicly available to assist LEAs in identifying gaps in licensure and identify high-need areas. This program will support licensure in special education and build on existing English learning licensure with the goal of assisting over 500 educators secure adequate licensure and avoid emergency placements for high-need areas. • When Indiana LEA Use of Funds Plans were Due: June 25, 2021