In December 2020, Congress passed a stimulus package containing a second round of both GEER and ESSER funds. This bill is referred to as the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSA). In order for states to get their share of the funding, they must “…maintain support for elementary and secondary education and for higher education for fiscal 2022 at a level of spending for elementary and secondary education and higher education at least proportional to overall state spending averaged over fiscal years 2017, 2018 and 2019.”
The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) released an explainer in January 2021 detailing the education-related funding from the CRRSA. We encourage you to read the SREB explainer. Very basic information related to Mississippi and the CRRSA is below.
The Breakdown for Mississippi (K-12)
These funds must be spent by September 30, 2023.
GEER (Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund)
| CARES GEER | CRRSA GEER (aka GEER II) | CRRSA GEER-EANS (private school money) | |
| Mississippi | $34,662,872 | $15,577,851 | $31,353,423 ($200,000 can be reserved for administration) |
ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief)
| CARES ESSER | CRRSA ESSER (aka ESSER II) | |
| Mississippi | $169,883,002 | $724,532,847 ($652,079,562 for LEAs, $72,453,285 SEA reservation, $3,622,664 SEA administration) |
Future Stimulus Bills
The current administration and Congress are working on a third COVID stimulus package that we believe will include additional funding for education and broadband access. We will update as we learn more about this new appropriations bill.