Share:
House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | April 28, 2021 10:13 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Jesse Topper |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Accelerated Learning |
| As you know, the federal government recently provided an unprecedented amount of money to school entities, including facility needs and the academic, social, and emotional needs of students as they come back to school buildings. I feel a responsibility to ensure that a portion of those resources are spent in a way that is fiscally responsible and has the most benefit to students. In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation to require public school entities to establish programs of accelerated learning to govern the set-aside dollars for learning loss under the recently enacted American Rescue Plan (ARP). My legislation aims to provide a minimum foundation for public schools so taxpayers, parents and educators can be assured that schools are making sound decisions with these resources. ARP authorized almost $5 billion distributed via the Title I formula to Pennsylvania’s public schools (school districts, charter schools, cyber charter schools and some CTCs) through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund. Twenty percent of these ESSER funds – about $1 billion – are required to be set aside to address “learning loss” through September 2024 (accounts for the one-year grace period of committed funds via the Tydings amendment). I believe it is essential to establish minimum statewide standards to act as guardrails for the funding associated with “learning loss.” As such, my bill will ensure that each school entity develops a systemic, multi-year strategy to deliver accelerated learning opportunities that support students’ academic, social, and emotional needs, at no cost to families. We all know that student mental health has suffered throughout this pandemic and we should not expect students to learn and recover academically unless we attend to their most basic needs. My legislation will ensure that accelerated learning programs are provided via in-person instruction (except for cyber charter schools). Most importantly, my legislation will ensure that these temporary funds aren’t invested in a way that will set schools up for a fiscal cliff when funds run out. Please join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation. Thank you. |
Introduced as HB1533