LIVERMORE FALLS — Regional School Unit 73 has received almost $3.27 million in federal funds through various coronavirus relief programs.

The district received $440,663 from ESSERF, Superintendent Scott Albert wrote in an email Thursday, Nov. 19. ESSERF stands for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund.

Congress set aside approximately $13.2 billion of the $30.75 billion allotted to the Education Stabilization Fund through the CARES Act for the ESSER Fund, according to the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education website.

In April, it was announced that Maine schools were being awarded almost $44 million in federal relief to cover costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The money was part of more than $13.2 billion in emergency relief from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, for K-12 schools nationwide and was announced by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. School districts could use the funds for immediate needs such as tools and resources for distance education, ensuring student health and safety, and developing and implementing plans for the next school year.

RSU 73 received $1.15 million in Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) from the CARES Act, Albert indicated.

In August the board approved the purchase of four transportation vehicles using those funds. Albert said iPads for kindergarten and grade one students and extra PPE (personal protective equipment) were also purchased.

“It is very important that people understand that we cannot use this money to replace money in the regular budget, it is not allowed. It is only for additional items that districts need to reopen,” Albert said at that time.

In October, the district received almost $1.25 million in a second round of CRF funding while adult education obtained about $22,000 from CRF, Albert wrote Thursday.

Spruce Mountain Adult and Community Education purchased a van and remote learning equipment, he noted.

In a Nov. 12 email, Albert provided a list of things the district obtained using the latest CRF monies. They included: a maintenance truck, updated all laptops for all ed techs and teachers to help with remote learning, Promethean boards for each classroom to enhance the interaction of remote learning, keycard readers for door entries throughout school buildings which allows access for staff through more doors to keep groups better separated, heating furnace at maintenance garage and bus garage to help with storage of cleaning chemicals and PPE supplies so they do not freeze.

Also, camera systems for schools for safety and contact tracing, modular classrooms for elementary school (one structure has two classrooms and a bathroom), carpet replacement with tile at SMPS because all classrooms are being used to eat breakfast and lunch, auto scrubber machine, kitchen equipment (new freezer, new dishwasher, new trays), more PPE – gloves, masks, shields, gowns, hand sanitizer, part of the cost of the adult education van, generator at adult education/central office to help insure district servers are kept running (allows district administration to keep working and gives Livermore Falls a place with a generator) and construction of a wall at central office to give more space to the adult education program.

CRF monies were also used for extra workers, extra hours, substitutes and contracted services, all in relation to COVID-19, Albert wrote Nov. 19.

CRF grant funding made it possible for RSU 73 to make numerous purchases and improvements for the district this year that were not included in the budget approved by taxpayers.

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