MUSD puts $7.2M in stimulus funds to work – with more coming

A variety of COVID-19 mitigation measures allowed the Maricopa Unified School District to reopen classrooms and enable students to learn in person.

Many of those expensive measures were paid for with federal stimulus funds.

According to MUSD business manager Jacob Harmon, the district has received $7.2 million in federal stimulus monies over the past year, with another $9.5 million pledged but not yet received.

All told, MUSD will receive a total of $16.7 million to address needs arising from the pandemic. The initial payment came in the form of a $1.5 million Enrollment Stabilization Grant, Harmon said.

“The initial projection of our distance learning adjustment is $1.6 million,” said Harmon. “This fund was intended to cover the loss of funding that resulted from the state’s decision to fund distance-learning students at 95% of the funding for in-person learners.” That funding level still leaves the district about $100,000 short.

The district also received the first of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund grants that provided $1.1 million for personal protective equipment (PPE), cleaning supplies, Plexiglas, computers, Wi-Fi hot spots, take-home workbooks and online curricula.

“This list is an attempt to cover many of the needs and expenses that arose with COVID but may not cover everything,” Harmon said. “All of ESSER 1 went toward these expenditures but did not cover all of the expenses.”

The gaps were filled by a second round of funding, which brought the district $4.6 million. The district is planning to use any remaining funding from ESSER 2 to address air quality issues in classrooms.

The largest chunk of the funding, known as ESSER 3 – an estimated $9.5 million – has not yet been received by the district. Those funds will be received over two to three years and will focus on academic intervention.