On Oct.6, the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) school board voted to approve the reallocation of funds to support academic intervention and COVID Case Managers/Supervision monitors as part of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III. The ESSER fund, implemented in 2020 by the federal government, gave school districts around the country relief funds to help maintain student welfare and management of COVID-19 throughout the pandemic. 

In the fall of 2021, FCPS received $188.8 million for ESSER funding for the 2022-2023 academic school year. The ESSER funds help maintain the safety of students and staff by creating protocols and COVID prevention strategies to reduce transmission in schools along with monitoring cases across the county. 

Additionally, the funds allow schools to provide mental health and academic support to students throughout the school year through school psychologists and learning programs. 

The regular school board meeting on Oct. 6 proposed the reallocation of funds from other School Board projects to the ESSER. The proposal requested an additional $0.6 million to support the academic intervention processes, while a request for $1.9 million for COVID case managers/monitors. 

The change in budget and fund allocation would allow schools to continue to provide academic support in areas such as math and English Language Arts (ELA) by allowing additional opportunities for tutoring inside and outside the classroom, instructional training, and materials. 

Additionally, COVID-related jobs such as case management would have more flexibility. Case managers work to help students communicate with the school and the Fairfax County Health Department and help monitor protocol in school.