Tarrant County superintendents are leading the way in reflecting on, learning from, and sharing with the broader community how they accelerated student learning outcomes with ESSER funding. Attendees left the event feeling inspired and better informed on how our region’s education leaders are working differently, collectively, and together for our students.
On March 4, eleven Tarrant County superintendents shared with regional philanthropists, business leaders, civic members, and higher education administrators how they spent Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funds, what they are most proud of accomplishing with these dollars, what they learned, and what they will miss when funding expires later this year.
Congress passed three stimulus bills that provided nearly $190.5 billion in ESSER funding to public schools across the country for the purpose of combatting learning loss that resulted from the consequences of school closures caused by COVID-19. Tarrant County ISDs received $615.8 million. They have spent $456.8 million allocated in the following categories:
ESSER Expenses by Initiative
- 47 percent to student instructional time ($204.6M)
- 24 percent to curriculum and instruction ($107.5M)
- 14 percent on other costs ($60M)
- 11 percent on mental health and additional student supports ($47.5M)
- 3 percent on technology ($11.7M)
ESSER Expenses by Cost Category
- 56 percent on personnel ($175.5M)
- 22 percent on supplies and materials ($69.7M)
- 11 percent on contracted services ($35.5M)
- 8 percent on indirect costs ($24.8M)
- 2 percent on other operating costs ($7.7M)
These dollars sparked historic academic acceleration for students that is nothing short of heroic. The consequences of school closures resulted in dramatic learning loss for students in critical academic metrics. Third grade reading fell to 37 percent and fourth grade math plummeted to 34 percent, the lowest rates Texas has seen in the last decade.
Our public education leaders stood tall in the face of these declines in academic performance. Between 2021 and 2023, the region experienced academic progress at a rate higher than ever previously reported:
- In 2022, the year immediately following COVID-19, Pre-K 3 and Pre-K 4 enrollment surpassed the state average of 42 percent for the first time.
- 10 percent increase in Pre-K enrollment from 2021-2023.
- 2 percent improvement in third grade reading between 2021-2023.
- 2 percent improvement in fourth grade math between 2021-2023.
- 9 percent acceleration in CCMR outcomes and 4.1 percent acceleration in Algebra I and between 2021-2023.
Said simply, 24,000 more students are meeting academic benchmarks today compared to pre-COVID. To visualize this, imagine the American Airlines Center at full capacity plus 4,000 students in line out the door.
These numbers are even more remarkable when looking backwards at academic trends which show stagnant growth of one to two percent improvement in the years prior to the pandemic.
This academic success should be celebrated and shared. We should learn from these successes together. As superintendents discussed with one another on the ESSER Showcase panels, key themes emerged across districts:
- Mental health and social resiliency support for students and teachers must happen first – before learning can occur. When speaking about Arlington ISD’s continued investment in Care Clinics to provide wellness support for students, Dr. Steven Wurtz, Chief Academic Officer, shared, “We knew that the learner’s experience needed to be intentionally designed to generate a positive experience for kids. The need isn’t going away. It’s persistent. This investment will make space for learning in the classroom.”
- Every superintendent emphasized that the mental health consequences to students persist. Dr. Jim Chadwell, Superintendent, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD reflected, “Some students who came back had not just been out of school but had not been in public settings much either. They missed those developmental opportunities. We knew there would be an effect, but we did not know how intense and persistent it would be.” Multiple ISDs mentioned an increase in attempted suicides amongst students following the pandemic. The role schools play in mental health and basic needs for students was repeated by Dr. Kentrel Phillips, Chief Academic Officer, Everman ISD, “From meals to mental health to instruction, we understand now, more than we did before COVID, how much a school district means to the community. We must be intentional with the funding we have to best serve our community.”
- Work takes people. More instructional time for students, social resiliency support, and implementing instructional materials requires human capacity. Dr. Joe Harrington, Superintendent, Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD, captured this point succinctly, “There is no silver bullet. We invested our money into people.”
These themes are made more poignant when considering the diversity and scale of Tarrant County’s education system. Tarrant County is the third largest county in Texas, educating seven percent of the state’s students across 569 campuses in 16 ISDs. Collectively, these school districts employ 35,200 educators, making them the largest regional employer, surpassing Fortune 500 companies such as Lockheed Martin, BNSF Railway, Bell Helicopter, and American Airlines. The 16 ISDs range in student enrollments from 2,500 to 75,000 and economic insecurity of 94 percent to 1 percent. There are rural, urban, and suburban districts. Consensus on learnings and challenges still being experienced in real time across these diverse districts highlights the universal importance of the lessons shared amongst district leaders and the opportunity to tackle these challenges as one region.
ESSER funding showed what can be accomplished with historic and unprecedented funding to our education system. This level of funding is not easily replaced without state or federal legislative action. As ESSER funding expires in 2024, districts face difficult decisions this budget cycle. The question is powerful – what happens next?
Tarrant County’s public education leaders are not sitting idly by. Recognizing that the hill they need to climb to get students where they aspire for them to be is too tall to climb alone and recognizing that the region’s size and the scope of Tarrant County’s education system make powerful brokerage points to achieve the common goals they have for students, these education leaders have identified regional goals to tackle collectively. “There is power in Tarrant County and through the Rev Partnership, we have the ability to work on common challenges together,” said Dr. Marcelo Cavazos, former Arlington ISD Superintendent. “If we work together and put relationships first, we can make a difference. There is no reason that Tarrant County cannot be that agent of change.” It started with this conversation.
There is no other region in the state where districts are sharing learnings and reflections amongst one another and – importantly – with their broader community in this way. This effective practice has the power to move regions forward together with a common understanding of the challenges precluding student achievement and shared pursuit of academic progress. Asserting what is at stake for our community, Dr. Angélica Ramsey, Superintendent, Fort Worth ISD, called for further action, emphasizing that, “without us, our schools and kids do not thrive. The future of the county lies in the hands of public education. If we do not get our education right, then there goes our future.”
“We share a lot between our schools and that translates to our district relationships,” Dr. Chadwell said. “We aim to bring the best to the table when it comes to how we can support one another. Our heart is about children.” The learnings and lessons shared by the 11 superintendents who spoke at the ESSER Showcase made it clear that, when faced with challenges, they stand tall, and they stand together to work differently, collectively, and together for students.
Rev Partnership
Rev Partnership is Tarrant County’s first education backbone. Rev is committed to the best public education system for our region’s students, schools, and community by fostering relationships between our public education system, business ecosystem, and social support infrastructure for our region’s 750,000 students to thrive. Rev achieves this vision through creating forums for collaboration amongst regional education leaders to share robust data insights and identify effective regional solutions that drive system-level impact across the scale and scope of Texas’ third largest county.