ARP ESSER Rule Collection Activities

Public Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number.  The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1810-0755 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 24 hours per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.  The obligation to respond to this collection is required to obtain or retain benefit under section 2001 of the American Rescue Plan (“ARP”) Act of 2021, Public Law 117-2.  If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate, suggestions for improving this individual collection, or if you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual form, application or survey, please contact Britt Jung, Office of State and Grantee Relations, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-6450 or email: SGR@ed.gov directly.

SEA Consultation with Public

For SEA consultation with stakeholders and seeking public input we estimate that an SEA will need, on average, 80 staff-hours to engage in meaningful consultation with identified stakeholder groups and 40 staff-hours to consider public input, for a total estimated average of 120 staff-hours. At $97.28 per SEA staff-hour, the average estimated cost to comply with the requirements is approximately $12,000. For 52 SEAs (including for the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico), the total estimated cost is $607,000, and the total estimated burden is 6,240 hours.

SEA Facilitation and Updates

We expect that SEAs generally possess much of this information and estimate that an SEA will need, on average, 33 hours to comply with the facilitation requirement, including information updates. At $97.28 per SEA staff-hour, the average estimated cost to comply with the requirements is approximately $3,200. For 52 SEAs, the total estimated cost is $166,800 and the total burden is 1,716 hours.

LEA ARP ESSER Plan Creation

We estimate that an LEA will need, on average, 40 staff-hours to develop an ARP ESSER plan that meets the requirements and to make its plan publicly available. At $97.28 per LEA staff-hour, the average estimated cost to comply with the ARP ESSER plan development requirement is approximately $3,900. For an estimated 15,000 LEAs receiving ARP ESSER funds, the total estimated cost is $58,368,000, and the total burden is 600,000 hours.

LEA Consultation with Public

For LEA consultation with stakeholders and seeking public input we estimate that an LEA will need, on average, 30 staff-hours to engage in meaningful consultation with identified stakeholder groups and to consider public input, for a total of 30 staff-hours. At $97.28 per LEA staff-hour, the average estimated cost to comply with the requirement is $3,900. For an estimated 15,000 LEAs receiving ARP ESSER funds, the total estimated cost is $43,776,000, and the total estimated burden is 450,000 hours.

LEA ARP ESSER Plan Accessibility

We estimate that an LEA will need an average of 10 hours to comply with the requirement that its ARP ESSER plan be accessible, including to parents with limited English proficiency and individuals with disabilities. At $97.28 per LEA staff-hour, the average estimated cost to comply with the requirement is approximately $1,000. For an estimated 15,000 LEAs receiving ARP ESSER funds, the total estimated cost is $14,592,000, and the total estimated burden is 150,000 hours.

LEA Plan for Safe Return Creation

We estimate that 5,000 LEAs will need to develop or revise safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services plans to meet statutory and regulatory requirements, using an average of 40 staff-hours. At $97.28 per LEA staff-hour, the average estimated cost for complying with the requirements is $3,900. The total estimated cost is $19,456,000, and the total estimated burden is 200,000 hours.

LEA Safe Return Plan Review

Under these interim final requirements, an LEA must review its plan at least every 6 months, revise its plan as needed, and consider public input in the review and revision. Under these requirements, an LEA will need to review its plan twice per year. We estimate that each review will require an average of 15 staff-hours for a total burden of 30 hours per year. We estimate that the average LEA will revise its plan once over the course of the next three years and require an average of 20 staff-hours for plan revision, an average of 7 burden hours per year. The total average estimated staff-hours for complying with plan review and revision requirements is 27 staff-hours annually, and at $97.28 per LEA staff-hour, the average estimated cost is $2,600. For an estimated 15,000 LEAs receiving ARP ESSER funds, the total estimated cost for complying with the plan review and revision requirements is $39,398,000, and we estimate a total burden of 405,000 hours.

LEA Plan for Safe Return Accessibility

Finally, we estimate that an LEA will need an average of 15 hours to comply with the requirement that its plan for the safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services be accessible, including to parents with limited English proficiency and individuals with disabilities. At $97.28 per LEA staff-hour, the average estimated cost to comply with the requirement is approximately $1,500. For an estimated 15,000 LEAs receiving ARP ESSER funds, the total estimated cost is $21,888,000, and we estimate a total burden of 225,000 hours.

Estimated Annual Burden and Respondent Costs Table

Information Activity or IC (with type of respondent)	Number of Respondents	Number of Responses	Average Burden Hours per Response	Total Annual Burden Hours	Estimated Respondent Average Hourly Wage	Total Annual Costs (hourly wage x total burden hours)
SEA Consultation with Public	52	1	120	6,240	$97.28	$607,000
SEA Facilitation and Updates	52	1	33	1,716	$97.28	$166,800
LEA ARP ESSER Plan Creation	15,000	1	40	600,000	$97.28	$58,368,000
LEA Consultation with Public	15,000	1	30	450,000	$97.28	$43,776,000
LEA ARP ESSER Plan Accessibility	15,000	1	10	150,000	$97.28	$14,592,000
LEA Plan for Safe Return Creation	5,000	1	40	200,000	$97.28	$19,456,000
LEA Safe Return Plan Review	15,000	1	27	405,000	$97.28	$39,938,000
LEA Plan for Safe Return Accessibility	15,000	1	15	225,000	$97.28	$21,888,000
Annualized Totals	80,104		25	2,037,956		$198,791,800