Alabama schools have until June 1 to explain how they’ll spend $900 million in COVID funds Updated May 14, 2021; That is the second of three buckets of federal aid that state Board of Education member Wayne Reynolds called a “windfall” during Thursday’s work session in Montgomery. It comes on top of a CARES Act allocation last year. The first round of money, known as the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief or ESSER I funding, provided $216 million for Alabama schools. It was designed to reimburse schools for expenses when schools closed in March 2020 and to help them reopen in August; most schools reported plans to spend money on remote learning programs, cleaning and PPE supplies and stipends for staff. Districts have until September 2022 to spend ESSER I funds.