Superintendent's Message

Welcome to Nevada’s Federal Relief Tracker website. As stewards of over $1.5 billion in federal relief funds that Nevada received across the ESSER I, ESSER II, and ARP ESSER grants, the Nevada Department of Education (NDE) values transparency with how these funds are being invested in Nevada. Because that’s what these funds are, an investment in student achievement and educator effectiveness. These funds represent valuable resources for our children and their education. They represent things like new, high-quality instructional materials, additional teachers and school staff, and more of the tools our students need to build a home, a life, and a future.

On this site, you will be able to see how your district is investing its relief funds, the progress your district has made spending those funds, and be able to compare your district’s investments to those of districts across Nevada.

It is our desire at the Nevada Department of Education to provide fiscal transparency and accountability so Nevadans can see that our districts are being responsible stewards of the public's investment in education because when we invest in education, we are investing in our future.

Jhone M. Ebert
Superintendent of Public Instruction

What's ESSER?

From March 2020 through March 2021, the US Federal Government allocated billions of dollars to K-12 education through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER). Over that time period, there were three allocations of money: ESSER I, ESSER II, and ARP ESSER.

These funds are intended to support districts and schools in safely reopening and sustaining the safe operation of schools, while equitably expanding opportunities for students who need it most, particularly those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nevada Department of Education Federal Relief Funding Projects

Through three rounds of federal relief funding for education, the Nevada Department of Education (NDE) has received approximately $1.6 billion to support our COVID-19 response, recovery, and renewal. In each round, 90% of funds were distributed to local education agencies (school districts and the State Public Charter School Authority) on a federal formula basis, while 10% of funds were reserved for Statewide activities. NDE established four focus areas to efficiently and effectively leverage federal relief funding to support students, staff, and families: Advancing Equity; Teacher Recruitment and Retention; Social-Emotional Learning and Mental Health; and Efficiencies for Long-Term Success. These four "buckets" ensure alignment of resources with both stakeholder priorities and federal requirements for COVID-19 recovery and renewal.

Since the Nevada Department of Education’s spending categories are different from local education agencies’ spending categories, NDE has provided a general overview of each project, including funding sources and amounts, and recommends reaching out to the point(s) of contact for specific project details. Please note that the projects and amounts listed are subject to change and are updated regularly.

View Details on Nevada Department of Education Federal Relief Funding Projects

For more information, please contact Marie DuFresne at the Nevada Department of Education. Email: mdufresne@doe.nv.gov Phone: 775-687-9238

Budgeting Basics

Districts in Nevada are required to track their budgets and expenses according to federal standards managed by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES): Financial Accounting for Local and State School Systems.

All ESSER grant funds must be identified for use across two classifications:

• Object - This classification is used to describe the service or commodity obtained as the result of a specific expenditure. Example objects include Salaries, Employee Benefits, Professional and Technical Services, Supplies, Property, and Debt Service.
• Function - This classification describes the activity for which a service or material object is acquired. Example functions include Instruction, Support Services, and Operation of Noninstructional Services.

In this Federal Relief Tracker site, we have adopted non-technical terms to describe these classifications.

Spending Group is the Object

Work Area is the Function

Additionally, this Federal Relief Tracker site groups Spending Groups into the Spending Categories of:

• Staff
• Supplies
• Services
• Other

By grouping Spending Groups into these four (4) categories, it facilitates easy-to-understand and meaningful comparisons of spending priorities across grants and districts.

FAQs

How often is data updated?

Data is refreshed on a bi-weekly basis on Fridays. The date of the last data update can be found on the home page of this Federal Relief Tracker.

What does "Expensed/Spent" indicate?

"Expense/Spent" indicates that the district has spent the monies and has submitted for reimbursement from NDE. This means that there is a lag between monies being expended and it appearing as expensed on this Federal Relief Tracker site.

Where does the district enrollment and demographic information come from?

District enrollment and demographic information is from Nevada Report Card. Information from the 2020-2021 school year is used because this was the year that the ESSER grants were allocated to districts.

Did all districts in Nevada receive ESSER funds?

Only districts that receive/accept Title I funds were eligible recipients of ESSER funds. Eureka County School District is the only district to decline Title I funds and is, therefore, ineligible to receive ESSER funds.