The past 18 months have been tremendously difficult for the students, families, staff and greater Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) community. The COVID-19 pandemic created uncertainty and upheaval we could not have imagined at the dawn of the new decade. A full accounting of the loss will take years to understand.

Along with the learning disruptions and social disconnections our students experienced, we've also seen their tremendous resilience. We've witnessed a remarkable coalition of parents, partners, staff and stakeholders coming together to support them.

The most recent example came last week, when MPS took the final step to secure the third phase of federal pandemic relief funds made possible through the American Rescue Plan President Joe Biden signed into law earlier this year. When we hit "send" to submit the application and paperwork the Department of Education requires, it was with the knowledge that our recommendations reflect community priorities about what students need, and that this one-time money will make a tangible impact in our work to ensure they recover and succeed. (Contrary to "District leaders are hijacking pandemic rescue funds," Opinion Exchange, Oct. 1.)

One of our greatest strengths as a school district stems from our relationships with critical partners who challenge us and serve as thought partners in our work to deliver a great education to every student. Our plan was shaped in large measure by feedback from our Community Advisory Committee, a dedicated group of individuals representing a diverse array of perspectives and constituencies. Committee members met with us in the early spring and summer, and again in August. Tribal consultation, an online submission form on our website, and input from individuals and organizations who reached out directly to me and my team, all informed a plan that reflects the deep commitment to our students that runs throughout our community.

The health and safety of our students continues to be top-of-mind for everyone. We'll be making investments in air quality upgrades in school buildings, personal protective equipment for our students and staff, and additional custodians to make sure classrooms are clean and safe.

To meet unprecedented social, emotional and mental health needs of our students, we're increasing in-school and extended-time mental health support and interventions. New graduation coaches will help multilingual and American Indian students recover credits and stay on track for graduation.

We'll tackle the nationwide bus driver shortage by using some funds to add recruitment incentives and bonuses. (Because we believe every member of our staff deserves to earn a living wage, we already raised starting pay in 2019.)

And in an uncertain world in which children and youth need stability more than ever, we're protecting 400 school-based staff positions that would otherwise be eliminated due to declining enrollment so that we can maintain current class sizes and programs.

While substantial and welcome, it's important to remember that $159 million over three years represents a fraction of MPS's overall budget. These federal funds end in three years, which means that while suggestions about staffing increases and class size reduction deserve consideration, using one-time funding to meet them leaves us with positions we cannot continue when funding ends.

We also realize the power of new investments would be offset if forced to make cuts in other areas, which is why we prioritized maintaining current staffing levels and programs.

We take seriously our responsibility to be transparent and accountable, so we've added new measures to make it easy for the public to keep track of how these funds are used and whether they are meeting intended outcomes.

And most importantly, because we know the pandemic has had a disproportionate negative impact on some student groups, our plan goes well beyond minimum requirements to dedicate funds for interventions and strategies designed to address learning impacts of COVID-related disruptions on English learners, students with disabilities, early learners and students of color.

MPS is deeply grateful to the Minneapolis community for helping us find ways to grasp and provide as much stability, security and continued learning as possible for the students of Minneapolis Public Schools.

Ed Graff is superintendent of the Minneapolis Public Schools.