Don’t Sunset the ROI: How to Sustain Data Projects After ESSER What to keep, how to fund it, and how to make the case your CFO will sign.

ESSER III (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund) obligations ended on September 30, 2024. Districts with approved late-liquidation requests, however, can continue spending through March 2026. On June 26, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education instructed states to keep liquidating approved extensions while litigation proceeds. This provides district leaders with extra time to document results and transition high-ROI projects to sustainable funding.

The best argument for sustaining a project is evidence of value, not “we still have ESSER.” Use the remaining liquidation window to finish evaluations, sharpen metrics, and plan the handoff to operating dollars.

5 Steps to Sustain Your Data Projects Beyond the ESSER Funding

Based on my conversations with district leaders and CFOs, I’ve built a step-by-step process to help get your data projects rolling beyond ESSER funding.

1. Determine if Your “Data Projects” Will Survive Budget Cliffs

With ESSER winding down, the question becomes: which types of data projects deserve a permanent place in district budgets? Use this handy guide to determine projects that are likely to get approved.

A. Interoperability Plumbing (Ed‑Fi/OneRoster, Automated Rostering, Secure SSO)

Districts that standardize their data exchange architecture can cut duplicative integration work and maintenance costs. Michigan’s MiDataHub reports a savings of $3,821 per integration per year and a 49% drop in staff time versus custom point-to-point builds. Their latest legislative reports continue to validate these savings statewide. This is the kind of spend that pays for itself.

B. Dashboards + MTSS/Early Warning That Drive Action

Keep the tools that clearly improve key metrics like attendance, course completion, and on‑track indicators. Federal and nonprofit guidance highlights Early Warning Systems (EWS) and Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) as research-based approaches. The U.S. Department of Education also reports that chronic absence remains elevated, making data-driven attendance work a high-return investment.

C. Tool Consolidation Powered by Data

Districts access roughly 1,400 to 1,500 tools each month, with nearly 3,000 in a school year. That’s unmanageable without a clear view of which tools are used, which are redundant, and which move the needle. Consolidation, guided by usage and outcomes data, helps reduce license sprawl, support load, and integration debt.

2. Do the ROI Math, Your CFO Will Respect

Use CoSN’s TCO + VOI framing (Total Cost of Ownership + Value of Investment) to quantify both the hard costs and strategic benefits. Then, show a 12‑month payback using conservative assumptions.

Example 1 – Interoperability

A district runs 20 SIS to app (and vice versa) integrations. Shifting to standards‑based pipes saves $3,821/integration/year to $76,420/year. That’s hard‑dollar staff time avoided (or redeployed). Even with higher setup costs, districts recover value quickly through ongoing integration savings and reduced staff time, as documented.

Example 2 – Attendance‑driven ROI

Chronic absence is still high nationally (28% in 2022–23), so an MTSS/EWS that reduces chronic absence by even 1–2 points is material. Use local funding rules to estimate the value of regained days (instructional time, service delivery capacity), and track time‑to‑intervention as a process KPI.

Pair these with low‑cost, evidence‑informed nudges like improved notification letters to amplify your gains.

Example 3 – Tool Consolidation

Does your inventory show 1,500 tools a month currently in use? Try consolidating duplicative apps around your SIS and LMS. Analytics stacks can help you cut licenses and support load. Add benchmarks in your board memo to ground the “sprawl” problem.

3. Develop a One‑Page ROI Brief Template (Drop This into Your Board Packet)

Here are a few items to include in your one-pager ROI template:

• Project: Name your project by type (e.g., Interoperability & MTSS Analytics)
• Define the Problem It Solves: Manual data work; slow visibility for attendance/intervention.
• Offer a Detailed Scope: SIS, LMS, and 10 priority apps, with role‑based dashboards for leaders or counselors.
• Develop Baseline Costs: Calculate the no. of FTE hours on exports and imports; document vendor fees; offer shadow IT.
• Expected Savings: Multiply your costs by the no. of integrations; document the reduction in manual tasks by hours per week (include IT, data teams, counselors).
• Define Outcome Targets: -1.5 pts chronic absence; +5% on‑track rate; 100% grade passback.
• Show the 12‑month Payback: Year‑one cost $____ vs. savings $____ = net $____.
• Risks & Mitigations: Data governance policy refresh; admin PD for data use.
• Funding Plan: Title IV‑A “effective use of technology and data,” + general fund rebase via tool consolidation. 

4. Fund Sustained Data Work After ESSER

Here are 3 ways to plan funding:

Title IV‑A (Student Support & Academic Enrichment)

Allowable uses include effective use of technology and professional development to utilize the data, ideal for interoperability and analytics that directly support instruction. Districts can reference federal Title IV-A guidance from the U.S. Department of Education to ensure compliance. States also provide their own advice, such as Washington’s OSPI Title IV-A page, which outlines local funding priorities. Including these references in your board packet helps demonstrate both compliance and strategic alignment.

General Fund Rebase Using Savings

Lock in integration savings and license consolidation to backfill OPEX for the data platform. Show your board how savings line items move to cover subscription/hosting.

Finish ESSER‑funded Scope, Then Pivot.

Use the liquidation window to complete deliverables and gather outcome data to justify the transition.

5. Handle Objections to Your Data Proposal

A. “We Can’t Afford This Without ESSER.”

How to handle this: We’re not asking for new money; instead, we’re redirecting savings. Standards‑based integrations are cheaper to maintain (~$3,821 saved per pipe per year), and we’ll retire duplicative licenses.

B. “Show me the Student benefit.”

How to handle this: Attendance and on‑track are the focus. Chronic absence is still elevated; our EWS/MTSS stack targets reductions we can measure quarterly.

C. “Prove the Total cost.”

How to handle this: We’ve run the CoSN TCO/VOI model and included people time, support, hosting, and integrations to show payback under 12 months.

ESSER is winding down, not erasing proof. If a data project is saving time or improving outcomes, there are straightforward ways to fund it post‑ESSER. Interoperability delivers measurable savings.

Focus on projects that cut manual work and move student indicators (attendance/MTSS, grade passback, rostering). Use CoSN’s TCO/VOI methods to show true costs and value when you rebase to general funds.

Sustaining high-ROI data work is about having the right infrastructure in place. EdDataHub, Magic EdTech’s district-level managed data service, connects systems like SIS and LMS using open standards such as Ed-Fi and OneRoster. It also automates data validation and provides actionable analytics that help districts improve outcomes and demonstrate ROI beyond ESSER.

10 Ways EdDataHub Can Assist District Leaders

I. Turns “Interoperability Savings” into Line‑items

EdDataHub uses pre‑built adapters (PowerSchool, Infinite Campus, Skyward, Synergy, Canvas, Schoology, Google Classroom, Workday, etc.)  + Ed‑Fi/OneRoster mapping to go to standards‑based pipes. Use documented benchmarks from our managed data service to size conservative savings locally and show a <12‑month payback.

II. Closes the “Interop Gap”

SSO is the only interoperability area widely implemented (43%), and data interoperability is just 11% fully implemented. This is exactly the gap EdDataHub’s Unified Lakehouse and standards layer closes.

III. Fixes State‑report Failures Before They’re Failures

EdDataHub’s Data Quality Services (validation rules, real‑time error dashboards, automated alerts) address the blog’s “pass/fail” submission risk and reduce costly rework. Use CoSN’s TCO/VOI models to translate fewer resubmissions and “midnight extracts” into avoided staff costs in your ROI brief.

IV. Makes Attendance Gains Measurable

Nightly refreshes of attendance, grades, and assessment data allow schools to respond quickly while chronic absence remains elevated, as highlighted by Attendance Works. Setting clear attendance targets in your pilot provides measurable outcomes and helps demonstrate progress to boards.

V. Strengthens MTSS with Early Warning Systems

Attendance is just one input. The real value comes from Early Warning Systems (EWS), which combine multiple data points, such as grades, assessments, and behavior, to flag students who need support. When integrated into a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), these insights help schools act earlier, reduce
time-to-intervention, and track on-track rates as key performance indicators (KPIs).

VI. Uses Tool‑sprawl Data to Fund the Platform

LearnPlatform reports ~1,436 tools/month and ~2,739 per year are accessed by a typical district. Pair your usage dashboards with this benchmark to rationalize duplicative licenses and redirect savings to sustain EdDataHub, post‑ESSER. 

VII. Gives Finance a Compliant Bridge, Not a Cliff

Where Title IV‑A is available, map your implementation to allowable uses (effective use of technology; PD for effective use of data/tech). Include the statutory cites in the board memo to de‑risk the shift from ESSER to formula funding. 

VIII. Uses the Liquidation Runway to Prove Value

If a district has a previously approved liquidation extension, the U.S. Department of Education’s June 26, 2025, guidance allows spending to continue while litigation is pending. Districts can use this time to run a pilot-first approach, establish baseline KPIs, and prepare a board-ready ROI pack.

IX. De‑risks API Churn and Outages (The Stuff Forums Complain About)

Because EdDataHub monitors vendor schema changes and patches mappings quickly, you reduce the most common root cause of SIS to LMS roster and grade‑sync breakage—and the overtime that follows. Tie this back to VOI as “continuity of instruction + avoided incident response.”

X. Strengthens Governance to Satisfy Auditors and Cyber Insurers

Role‑based access down to the field, encryption at rest/in transit, and full audit trails give compliance artifacts districts need under FERPA and local policies; include these controls in the ROI brief as risk‑cost avoidance (fewer audit findings, faster investigations). (Title IV‑A also recognizes PD for effective use of data & tech)

Sources You Can Reuse in the Post (Link by Claim)

• Funding Runway: Details on the ED liquidation extension and AASA update are available from the U.S. Department of Education and Congress.gov.
• Interoperability ROI: MiDataHub ROI retrospective (2024) and legislative report (2024–25) can be found here.
• CFO-Friendly Framing: CoSN’s TCO and VOI tools are available here.
• Problem Context: Elevated chronic absence and EWS/MTSS guidance are documented by the U.S. Department of Education and MTSS4Success.
• Tool Sprawl Data: LearnPlatform and EdWeek reports on tool usage can be found here.
• Title IV-A Allowability: Guidance on effective use of technology and data can be referenced from federal and state resources.

Fund Your District Data Projects Post-ESSER

Sustaining high-ROI data work isn’t about chasing the next grant. You need to make smart investments and prove value. Interoperability, attendance-driven analytics, MTSS, and tool consolidation are the levers that drive efficiency. Through frameworks like CoSN’s TCO/VOI, tapping Title IV‑A and general fund savings, and using a pilot-first approach with EdDataHub, districts can ensure their investments continue to pay dividends well beyond ESSER funding.

Ready to turn your data projects into a sustainable, board-ready strategy? Explore Magic EdTech’s data solutions for districts or talk to us.