Wilmette Public Schools could receive $700,000 from American Rescue Plan, which would make more than $1 million in total stimulus funds

The three federal stimulus packages approved by the United States Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic could equal more than $1 million in funding for Wilmette School District 39. 

During the April board of education meeting, district officials detailed early estimates for funds the district will receive from the $1.9 trillion relief bill — called the American Rescue Plan — passed in March. 

A preliminary estimate is that Wilmette Public Schools will receive $705,000 from the third and most recent round of federal funding, officials said at the meeting. 

Now-former board member Jon Cesaretti, who served on the board’s finance subcommittee, reported that at least 20 percent of the funding, or $141,000, is required to be spent on learning loss. 

More details regarding the district’s allocated amount and information related to spending allowances of those funds will be provided by July 1, Cesaretti said. Funding provided through this package has an end date of 2024, which allows the district to establish a funding plan, he added. 

The allocation a school district receives is based on the percentage of low-income families in its district, officials said at the meeting. 

Wilmette Public Schools’ initial plan is to “apply the funds to the strategic plan for sustained spending over the next three years,” Cesaretti reported. 

The second COVID-19 stimulus package, passed in December of 2020, provided $314,000 to District 39. Federal guidance related to those funds allows “flexibility for the use” of them, Cesaretti said, noting the timeline for use extends until September of 2023. 

Wilmette Public Schools received $80,000 last March, which was partially shared with the private schools in Wilmette, from the first relief package Congress passed. 

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