"The ESSER money is a lot, but it's not as much as everybody thinks," says Bernard McCune, Denver Public School's associate chief of academics. "Everyone thinks that schools are just flush with money and they throw everything at schools without intentionality. What we've done is use ESSER as an opportunity to innovate."

Army recruiters struggling to meet enlistment goals say one of their biggest hurdles is getting into high schools, where they can meet students one on one.

New Orleans charter schools can apply to move their schools into two unoccupied Orleans Parish school district-owned buildings for next school year.

"If you're not utilizing social media to communicate to your parents or your audience, then you're missing the boat in 2023," says one superintendent, asserting that the rewards of doing so far outweigh the problems.