NASHVILLE, Tenn. — School districts across East Tennessee were given thousands of dollars in federal relief funds for the COVID-19 pandemic, and now some are being rewarded for how they used the funds.
In July 2021, the Tennessee Department of Education announced the "Best for All" recognition program. It recognizes school districts for the ways they planned, allocated and spent federal funding to help students.
To qualify for the program, schools needed to spend an amount equal to half of their ESSER 3.0 funds on research-based strategies to raise student academic achievement. They also needed to participate in the TN ALL Corps tutoring grant program.
A total of 68 districts were recognized in the program, and many of them are in East Tennessee. These districts will have a chance to celebrate "Best For All Day," and districts should plan a local celebration for it that involves stakeholders, partners, families and students, according to the state.
Knox County Schools, Sevier County Schools, Jefferson County Schools, Loudon County Schools, Union County Schools, Fentress County Schools and Morgan County Schools were all included in the list of districts, with many others.
Each district was also awarded grant funds from the state's ESSER funds, totaling more than $15 million. Knox County Schools received $410,000 while Morgan County received $200,000 and Sevier County received $350,000.