Stockton Unified has either spent or earmarked nearly all of the hundreds of millions of dollars in COVID-19 relief funding it’s received from the federal government over the past three years.
The district has just about $32 million left to be designated for various district needs.
On Tuesday, the SUSD governing board held a study session to look at how the district has used the more than $250 million in Secondary School and Relief, known as ESSER, funding it has been allocated since 2020.
The money, given out in three rounds, was distributed to school districts “to address students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health as well as any opportunity gaps that existed before and were worsened by the COVID pandemic,” according to a staff presentation.
Key objectives the district set for how the money should be spent include mitigating learning loss, health and safety and addressing lost learning time, as well as one-time purchases that facilitate focusing on children, families and community.
How the money was spent
The first two rounds of ESSER funds — totaling about $85 million — have already been fully expended. The money was spent on things like enrichment learning, cleaning supplies, personal protective equipment, student nutrition, instructional materials and technology, the district’s Summer Learning Academy and staffing.
It was this last category for SUSD that drew criticism from government watchdogs.
Both the San Joaquin County Office of Education and the San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury warned the district about the potential budgeting hazards that come with funding ongoing district expenses, such as salary and benefits, with one-time funding.
District leadership has been working over the last eight months to right Stockton Unified’s financial ship. SUSD has faced myriad issues in the last few years, including two scathing Civil Grand Jury reports, one of which gave the district “A failing Grade in Public Trust,” risk of potential insolvency due to budget mismanagement, five interim and permanent superintendents, infighting among governing board trustees, and a state audit investigation that found evidence of illegal activity in the district’s financial dealings. …
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Cassie Dickman 