Allowable uses of grant funds

What are the allowable uses of the grant funds?

It is the district’s responsibility to ensure grant expenditures align with the DESE Teacher Recruitment & Retention Grant Guidance assurances and use of funds, are coded in alignment to the school finance manual, and comply with all school finance rules and regulations. Coding of ESSER funds should align with those provided in the Missouri Financial Accounting Manual. For any questions pertaining to coding of expenditures, please contact School Finance at 573-751-0357 or finadmgov@dese.mo.gov.

DESE Administrative Memo 1.19.22

Allowable uses of Funds for GYO grants
LEAs that receive funds under this title may use the funds for any of the following:

Strengthening partnerships with educator preparation programs and community colleges to expand and improve teacher recruitment efforts.
Implementing activities that assist with the identification and selection of individuals demonstrating characteristics similar to those of high quality teachers and recruiting them into the local GYO program.
Providing learning activities and support through the local GYO program to individuals considering becoming a teacher.
Evaluating the effectiveness of GYO strategies and activities for expanding and improving teacher recruitment efforts

Can a university provide scholarships to students who have received scholarship funding from their district through the recruitment grants?
Yes. Districts may use the GYO grant funding to provide scholarships for students who plan to attend a teacher education program. Higher education institutions may use their Teacher Education Grant funding for scholarships. A student may receive scholarships from both entities.

Can grant funds be used to provide tuition scholarships for current employees, such as paraprofessionals to enroll in an educator preparation program?
Yes. Districts may use the GYO grant funding to support students and others, such as paraprofessionals or other staff, to pursue learning opportunities about teaching and those directly related to becoming a teacher. Institutes of higher education may also use the Teacher Education Recruitment funds to support scholarships for anyone pursuing a teaching degree.

Allowable Uses of Funds for Teacher Retention grants
LEAs that receive funds under this grant may use the funds for any of the following examples or for other activities for improving teacher retention as supported by research:

Expanding and improving the LEA’s mentor program for new teachers.
Providing stipends to teachers for the performance of non-contractual duties.
Hiring substitute teachers, aides or para-professionals to provide additional support to teachers.
Providing support for professional development opportunities, including scholarships for teachers completing National Board Certification.
Utilizing culture and climate surveys to identify and address working condition issues and needs.
Providing services or resources to address the social-emotional of teachers or training to teachers to assist them in meeting the social-emotional needs of students.
Providing professional learning opportunities based on needs identified by teachers.
Increasing opportunities for elevating teacher voice and increasing teacher leadership opportunities

Salaries

Can grant funds be used for salaries of full-time substitutes and/or other non-certified personnel?
Yes. The use of funds to provide additional support staff for teachers is encouraged. Increasing substitute availability in order to provide teacher learning opportunities, collaboration and planning time, and to meet requests for time off are promoted through the teacher retention grant.

Can grant funds be used for administrator salaries and/or stipends?
It depends. The grants are specifically designed to support teachers. Administrative support is a known factor of teacher retention. However, given the focus of the grants on teacher supports, strategies that include providing training and or funds for administrators will likely need to include clear research-based justifications for the use of the funds, as well as aligned evaluation methods to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies. For example, if the retention strategy includes hiring additional administrators, research should be provided to support relationships between teacher retention and additional administrators.

Teacher Learning

Can a district choose to use their allocation to pay for professional developers, consultants, national speakers, and/or professional learning programs for their whole staff?
Yes. Grant monies may be used to provide teacher learning. High quality, effective professional development opportunities are known to contribute to teacher retention. Increasing teacher knowledge and skills increases teacher self-efficacy, which is related to increases in teacher job satisfaction, resiliency, and retention. Involving teachers in professional development decision-making, as well as offering teachers’ choice, is encouraged.

Find opportunities for teacher learning:  mo-mtds.net/teacher-learning

Please note: Research does not support the use of one-day workshops and learning that is disconnected from the work of teaching.  Research supports teacher learning that is sustained in duration, grounded in adult learning theories, and job-embedded. MTDS programming offered by Missouri's RPDCs meet the definition of effective professional development.

Teacher Well-Being

How to Grow Teacher Well-Being in Your Schools

Is creating or redecorating a teacher lounge to provide teachers with a welcoming space an allowable use of grant funds?
It depends. Grant funds may be used to promote teacher well-being. Districts are expected to provide research to support the strategies they decide to implement to promote teacher retention. This strategy would likely need to include justification and/or research to suggest a connection between teacher lounges and teacher retention.

Can funds be used for gifts and awards for teachers?
No. Funds cannot be used for any personal items.