KSDE official reports federal ESSER, title reimbursements restored but delayed; districts told to spend carefully

Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) staff on Aug. 13 told the State Board of Education that two streams of federal education funding that had been paused earlier this year — ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) reimbursements and several Title programs — are again available but that the state has not yet received all reimbursements. Dr. Frank Harwood, a KSDE presenter, said the department has submitted reimbursement requests but some are still under review at the U.S. Department of Education.

The update came after KSDE staff said districts were told on June 27 that paused 2024 funds were again accessible following an earlier pause. "The way the federal funds work is you have to spend them first and then you can ask for reimbursement," Harwood said, describing a timeline in which KSDE submitted an initial reimbursement for $1,100,000 and paid an additional $1,600,000 to vendors on July 10 before submitting that request for federal reimbursement on July 11.…