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New London public comment warns up to $1.96 million in ARP ESSER funds may be at risk after CSDE rescinds liquidation-extension
Summary
A written public comment and board discussion raised concerns that a rescinded CSDE liquidation-extension could jeopardize approximately $1.96 million in ARP ESSER funds; the board pulled the Business & Finance report to hear a staff summary and will await further information from state officials.
At the April 7, 2025 New London Board of Education meeting, a written public comment and a board request for staff clarification flagged a potential loss of federal ARP ESSER grant money after the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) rescinded a previously granted liquidation‑period extension.
The concern was raised in a written public comment submitted by Caitlin Flynn, a Special Education teacher, and referenced during the meeting when Board President Elaine Maynard‑Adams pulled the Business & Finance report so staff could summarize the district’s position. Flynn’s submission said the district had planned drawdowns and expenditures consistent with an extension that was later rescinded by CSDE and asked whether already‑paid expenses would still be eligible for reimbursement.
Flynn detailed the district’s timeline and figures: planned drawdowns of $1,175,492 in ARP ESSER funds and $46,561 from an ARP High Dosage Tutoring grant for work paid or received by March 28, 2025; a completed facility project (STMHS boiler) costing $350,000, of which $180,018.52 had been billed and queued for payment and approximately $170,000 remained unbilled; and a published amount the district said may be in jeopardy of $1,961,395. Flynn calculated that if the district can draw down the paid items, an additional $1,222,072 would be recovered, leaving an inaccessible gap she estimated at $579,342–$739,323 depending on billing timing and drawdown eligibility.
The board’s minutes record that Mr. Funk (staff member) provided a summary of the ESSER funds quandary and that the statement was entered into the record. Dr. Cynthia Ritchie, Superintendent of Schools, told the board that the Connecticut Education Commissioner had received additional information and that the commissioner’s office expected to share that information with superintendents this week.
No formal vote or binding direction on the ESSER matter was recorded at the meeting. Board members pulled the Business & Finance report for the record so that the matter could be summarized and entered into the minutes; the board said it will await further guidance from CSDE and the state education commissioner’s communications.
Background context: ARP ESSER grants require districts to document that goods and services were received and paid within grant liquidations windows; Flynn’s comment cites a change in CSDE drawdown procedure requiring reimbursement after expenses are paid. The district’s written materials say the district had planned to expend most ARP ESSER funds by June 30, 2025, with some tutoring funds to be spent by August 31, 2025. The minutes note the board’s concern but do not record a definitive determination about eligibility of the specific disputed charges.
The board did not take formal action to authorize contingency plans or new expenditures at the April 7 meeting. The next procedural step recorded in the minutes was to receive the Business & Finance report for the record and to await the commissioner’s additional information.
