Haywood County Schools Recognized as Best for All District

68 Tennessee Districts Celebrated Statewide for ESSER Investments that Benefit Students 

Brownsville, TN—On Friday, February 11, the Tennessee Department of Education announced Haywood County Schools is a Best for All District, joining 67 other districts across the state earning this designation. 

Governor Bill Lee announced a day of recognition in honor of Best for All Districts on Friday, February 11, 2022. The Best for All recognition program awards benefits to Tennessee school districts that designated historic amounts of federal COVID-19 relief and stimulus funding directly on student achievement and improving academic outcomes.  

“The last two years have been extremely challenging in the world of education.  Recovering learning loss in students is vital for their future academic growth and success.  More importantly, our students deserve the most holistic support they can receive, and this particular funding has allowed us to put those supports in place,” said HCS Superintendent Joey Hassell.  

“Best for All Districts are meeting this critical moment in time head on, building upon statewide momentum to focus their efforts on students-first work and outcomes,” said Commissioner Penny Schwinn. “I couldn’t be more proud to celebrate these districts and their communities who are so deserving of this recognition as we accelerate achievement each day moving forward. Congratulations!” 

 The department announced the Best for All recognition program in July of 2021, sharing financial, operational, celebratory, and resource benefits awarded to Tennessee school districts that planned to spend historic amounts of federal COVID-19 relief and stimulus funding directly on student achievement and improving academic outcomes.  

 Beginning in 2020, the U.S. Congress responded to the global COVID-19 health pandemic by passing several pieces of legislation, and as a result Tennessee is benefitting from over $4.5 billion for K-12 education to be spent between spring 2020 and fall 2024. Through three rounds of funding referred to as ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 funds, over $3.58 billion will flow directly to local school districts to decide how to spend.  

 The department understands the importance of rewarding investments in mission-critical initiatives that are most likely to benefit students. Best for All Districts are those districts that have strategically planned for and invested in ways that are likely to accelerate student achievement. To qualify for the Best for All recognition program, a district spent an amount equal to 50% of its ESSER 3.0 award amount on proven, research-based strategies to raise student academic achievement and participate in the TN ALL Corps tutoring grant program to provide students with high dosage, low ratio tutoring opportunities.