With billions of dollars in one-time state and federal investments in education, California’s education leaders are working to invest strategically in staff, plan for sustainability and transformational change, and ensure that funds are allocated and spent equitably.

These efforts are aimed at accelerating equitable learning opportunities and, in particular, ensuring students who have faced the highest barriers to learning during the pandemic receive additional support.

However, decisions about how to invest this one-time funding are complicated by COVID and other challenges. To support California’s education leaders, the California Department of Education (CDE) partnered with WestEd to offer an interactive, three-part series of virtual learning sessions focused on how to strategically use the one time-funds in combination with ongoing resources to strengthen supports.

One-Time Funding: How to Maximize Investments for Your Students

Learning Session One: Recording

This recording focused on how to strategically use the ESSER one time-funds in combination with ongoing resources to accelerate equitable learning opportunities and supports. Sessions were held February 16, February 18, February 23 and March 4, 2022.

Learning Session One: Presentation

slide deck

The first learning session provided:

  • An overview of available state and federal one-time funding and allowable usages
  • Strategies for maximizing investments of one-time funds
  • Considerations for declining enrollments and other uncertainty in future planning
  • Resources and strategies for communicating to education partners and community stakeholders
  • Knowledge sharing with colleagues to gain practical knowledge

Slide Deck

2022–2023 Budget Planning and Request for Input

Learning Session One: Takeaway Slide Deck

takeaway slide deck

This tool can be customized for use by local education agencies (LEAs) as they create a plan for 2022-2023 investment plans and seek feedback from community members.

Takeaway Slide Deck

One-Time Funding: Strategies for Addressing Staffing Needs

Learning Session Two: Recording

This recording addressed how to leverage and invest one-time funding in human resources, including strategies for navigating staffing shortages and planning for staffing with declining enrollment. Sessions were held March 11, March 15, April 8, April 12, April 15, and April 20, 2022.

Learning Session Two: Presentation

slide deck

The second session highlighted the following topics:

  • Strategies for leveraging available state and federal one-time funding to support the educator workforce
  • Key considerations for declining enrollments and staffing shortages when planning for the use of one-time funds
  • Ways to evaluate current and future positions
  • Approaches to strengthening and building a robust educator pipeline, including recruitment, hiring, and retention
  • Collaborative discussion with practitioners across the state

Slide Deck

Strategic Use of One-Time Funds: Coaching Tool for Aligning Resources to Recruit and Retain

Learning Session Two: Coaching Tool

This tool is designed to support a coaching conversation among district leaders, program service leaders, and fiscal leaders. Through a mix of coaching stems and an optional activity focused on alignment of resources to recruitment and retention needs, leaders can use the tool to examine strategies for student-driven funding approaches.

Coaching Tool

One-Time Funding: Strategies for Achieving Sustainability

Learning Session Three: Recording

The final recording focused on how to sustain investments of one-time funds, including steps to take now to achieve ongoing impact. Sessions were held May 3, May 5, May 12, and May 18, 2022.

Learning Session Three: Presentation

slide deck

The third session included:

  • Strategies for leveraging available state and federal one-time funding to support the educator workforce
  • Guidance for considering declining enrollments and staffing shortages when planning for the use of one-time funds
  • Strategies for evaluating current and future positions
  • Approaches to strengthening and building a robust educator pipeline, including recruitment, hiring, and retention
  • Collaborative discussion with practitioners across the state

Slide Deck

Strategic Use of Funds Coaching Tool

Learning Session Three: Coaching Tool

This tool aims to help LEA leaders plan for communicating their priorities and the impact of their investments.

Coaching Tool

Strategic Use of One-Time Funds: Considering Concurrent Timelines in Decision-Making

Learning Session Three: Handout

The figures in this document were used within the Strategic Use of One-Time Funds Learning Sessions as a catalyst for conversation among LEA teams about the timelines and processes for strategic decision-making and the use of one-time funds.

Timeline Handout