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Saint Paul Public Schools Sees Impacts of American Rescue Plan Funds

Strategic investments show promising progress in first year of federal recovery spending

February 9, 2023 (SAINT PAUL, Minn.) -- Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) is starting to see results after the first full year of American Rescue Plan (ARP) spending. The district received $207 million in federal funds to safely reopen schools and address long-term student outcomes that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The one-time funding was awarded in November 2021 and must be spent by September 2024. 
 
The district’s first year of ARP spending was concentrated within the six focus areas of the SPPS Achieves strategic plan, in addition to funding systems and staff dedicated to the safe operation of schools. A full fiscal year 2022 (July 2021-June 2022) summary is available here.
 

Investments in fiscal year 2022 included:

  • $19.2 million in Systemic Equity, specifically on efforts to recruit and retain more educators of color and retention bonuses for district staff
  • $2.2 million in Safe Schools, including improvements in indoor air quality systems, bus driver recruitment efforts, and nutrition staff and supplies
  • $734,000 in College and Career Readiness, including after-school and summer programs, career centers and related curriculum, student internships and certifications
  • $575,000 in Effective & Culturally Responsive Instruction, encompassing investments in special education services, high school schedules and grading practices, and credit recovery
  • $403,000 in Program Evaluation & Resource Allocation, which includes Innovation Office staff and research analysts to support implementation and monitoring of ARP strategies
  • $346,000 in Positive School & District Culture, including hiring social workers, early childhood mental health support, and social emotional wellness programs for staff and students
  • $142,000 in Family & Community Engagement, namely awarding 37 grants to community partners to provide a variety of services for students and families
In total, SPPS spent $24.6 million of its ARP funds in the first fiscal year. This spending was in addition to $43.3 million of ESSER II funds, which are aligned to many of the same priorities and must be spent by September 2023. SPPS has allocated $73.8 million of ARP and the remainder of ESSER II funds ($48.8 million) to be spent in the current fiscal year.
 
“SPPS has been strategic in its use of ARP funds, intentionally monitoring up our investments over the course of the three-year spending window,” said Executive Chief of Equity, Strategy and Innovation Stacey Gray Akyea. “The first year allowed us to take stock of what is working so we can accelerate those strategies that are contributing to our long-term student outcomes and allocate the remaining funds accordingly.”
 

Promising Results

Several ARP strategies have started to show progress toward intended outcomes despite the lingering impacts of the pandemic. A few highlights include:
  • Students in the WINN (What I Need Now) small group reading program saw positive growth in their reading scores on average, with students in second and third grade achieving higher growth scores than their peers
  • Thirty percent of new educators hired in 2022 were people of color, compared to 23 percent in 2021, due to the concerted efforts of the Recruitment and Retention strategy 
  • High school students completed over 70 internships and earned $50,000, and completed 250 industry-recognized certifications while making $35,000 in the Earn As You Learn program in the 2021-22 school year
  • Flipside, a middle school after-school program, expanded to all 15 middle schools, with 94% of students reporting having a positive experience
“Our first year of ARP spending shows what our students and educators can accomplish when schools have the resources they need to succeed,” said Superintendent Joe Gothard. “This progress would not have been possible without the American Rescue Plan. SPPS remains committed to ensuring these once-in-a-generation funds are used wisely, which should serve as a proof point that our students need and deserve sustainable, robust funding into the future.”
 

U.S. Department of Education “Raise the Bar” Panel Discussion

Superintendent Gothard, Chief Gray Akyea, SPPS Principal John Bjoraker and Innovation Office Director Leah Corey will discuss the district’s ARP strategies as part of the U.S. Department of Education’s “Raise the Bar” series at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9. Register to watch the discussion here.
 
More information about spending timelines, detailed strategy summaries, and live dashboards showing quarterly spending updates are available on our website at spps.org/ARP.