News Release - Applications being accepted for ESSER transportation assistance grant

May 23, 2022

Applications being accepted for ESSER transportation assistance grant

Program to help eligible students in specific Adams 14 low-performing schools access higher-performing schools

DENVER – The Colorado Department of Education recently released the ESSER Transportation Assistance Grant (ETAG) Program that will provide funding to help students attending low-performing schools in chronically low-performing districts access high-quality learning at a higher-performing school in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years.

At the direction of the Colorado State Board of Education, the ETAG program was created through a $3 million allocation from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund’s state set aside to support eligible students in specific low-performing schools by providing transportation assistance to attend eligible higher-performing schools.

Based on the eligibility criteria, the only students eligible to receive transportation assistance from this program will be from select schools within the Adams 14 School District and eligible higher-performing schools will be in Adams 14 and its adjacent districts -- Adams 12 Five Star Schools, Denver Public Schools, Mapleton Public Schools, and School District 27J.
 
Colorado school districts, BOCES, charter schools and nonprofit organizations are invited to apply for this two-year program. Potential forms of transportation assistance could include, but are not limited to:

• Direct transportation;
• Coordination of transportation services; and
• Reimbursements for actual transportation costs incurred by families through reimbursement or gas cards.

Applications are being accepted now through Tuesday, June 21. All applicants will be notified of their award status by Friday, July 1, in order to implement the program for the 2022-23 school year. Email ETAGapplications@cde.state.co.us with any questions and check out this and all other programs funded under the ESSER State Reserves.