USED Shares Resources for Using ARP Funds to Address State & Local Personnel Shortages

Late last year, the U.S. Department of Education held a two-part webinar to share valuable resources to help districts address the state and local teacher and staff labor shortages. In a Dear Colleague letter from Secretary Cardona in December 2021, the Department urged the use of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to help address the shortages, minimize in-person learning disruptions and meet students' needs. The letter detailed best practices for districts to allocate those funds accordingly.

• The first part of the webinar focused on addressing teacher labor shortages. The recording can be found here. The presentation can be found here.
• The second part of the webinar focused on addressing staff labor shortages. The recording can be found here. The presentation can be found here.

The following accompanying resources can be accessed to better help your district allocate those funds:

• Volume 2 of the COVID Handbook
• The Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center at the University of Florida offers resources to consider root causes and solutions for shortages in special education staffing, including a data analysis tool.
• Prioritizing People: Purposeful investments to better support student and teacher mental health
• State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund website
• Interim Final Rule
• State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund Frequently Asked Questions
• Coronavirus-related relief for retirement plans and IRAs FAQs

In the conclusion of the Dear Colleague letter, USED strongly encouraged the use funding under ARP to respond to the urgent needs resulting from the pandemic while beginning to plan for the investments needed to ensure that every  student has access to the qualified educators and staff they need.