Finances are on the top of the list of items on the Lamesa school board’s agenda when they meet at 6 p.m. Thursday to discuss the budget and tax rate for the 2021-2022 fiscal year. The first item on the agenda is a public hearing on the district’s use of $2,346,781 in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (or ESSER II) federal funds. ESSER II funds can be utilized to assist the district in students’ learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students lost over two months of in-person class time when Lamesa schools closed in March 2020. Some students also chose remote ...