On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act was signed into law. In it, the U.S. Department of Education is providing an additional $121.9 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ARP ESSER Fund). This legislation awards grants to state educational agencies (SEAs) for providing local educational agencies (LEAs, i.e., school districts) with emergency relief funds to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools across the nation.

South Carolina will receive $2,112,051,487 in ARP ESSER funds from the ARP Act, with 90 percent being awarded to LEAs with amounts determined in proportion to the amount of Title I, Part A funds they received in summer 2020. The remaining funds to South Carolina will be used for state-level activities to address issues caused by COVID-19.

Spartanburg District Five Schools will receive $11,331,599 in ESSER III funding.  The plan below describes how the district will use this funding.