The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) will plan and execute COVID-19 testing in schools for the 2021-22 school year, including administration on behalf of District government of the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) Reopening Schools federal grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Local education agencies (LEAs) will have the option to participate in a centralized COVID-19 testing program administered by OSSE or to receive sub-grant dollars to execute a new or continue an existing COVID-19 testing program in the upcoming school year. 

Preliminary allocations for LEAs selecting the subgrant option are below:

• Preliminary Allocations: School Year 2021-22 COVID-19 Testing Formula Grant

          These are preliminary allocations and do not bind OSSE to make an award.  

Formula allocations by LEA incorporated the following data:

• Projected student enrollment for the 2021-22 school year as well as reported numbers of staff for the 2020-21 school year;
  • Note, we do not anticipate updating allocations based on enrollment audit or staffing data for the 2021-22 school year.
• Participation rates and pricing to approximate those anticipated through the centralized OSSE COVID-19 testing program, including:
  • Asymptomatic testing:  Assumption of LEA calendar with 22 total weeks in terms 1 and 2, including 16 weeks of 10 percent sample of students and staff, 5 weeks of 20 percent sample of students and staff, and 1 week without testing (holiday break)
  • Symptomatic testing:  Assumption of 1 percent of students and staff conducting symptomatic test during terms 1 and 2
  • For terms 3 and 4, assume 50 percent of costs for asymptomatic and symptomatic testing as those incurred in terms 1 and 2

Note, subgrant funds under this award may supplement, but may not supplant, other funding sources whose purpose is exclusively designated for COVID-19 testing. Additional terms and conditions will be shared with the subgrant application in EGMS.

The anticipated COVID-19 Testing Formula Grant release date is Sept. 15, 2021, and the award period start date will be Oct. 1, 2021. More information is to come.