Arlington ISD faces layoffs with COVID-era ESSER grants coming to an end

At the conclusion of the current school year, approximately 275 employees in the Arlington Independent School District will be facing job cuts as the district eliminates positions funded by expiring ESSER grants.

ESSER funds, which originate from the U.S. Department of Education, are distributed through three Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief grant programs. The final COVID-era ESSER grant is set to expire this year.

These grants were established to aid districts in recovering from learning setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, financing positions such as teachers, tutors, and mental health professionals. Arlington received $134 million from these grants, which were utilized for various purposes including tutoring and additional support in core subjects.

However, with the depletion of these funds, the district is unable to sustain the staff positions without the pandemic-related dollars.

Arlington ISD has encouraged all affected staff members to reapply for any available positions within the district.

These layoffs in Arlington echo similar reports of job reductions recently observed in the Fort Worth ISD.