United States

Pennsylvania schools receive $2.2B pandemic relief aid

(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania schools will soon see a $2.2 billion infusion of stimulus funds to help weather pandemic-related operational and budget challenges.

The state Department of Education said Friday the money will funnel out through a formula that prioritizes schools with higher percentages of low-income students. Congress authorized the money through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER II) Fund last month.

“All schools have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and I commend school communities for rising to the challenge to combat the toll it has taken,” Gov. Tom Wolf said. “This extra funding is critical to help schools meet the unique needs of educating students at this time while keeping school buildings safe when students return to the classroom.”

Acting Education Secretary Noe Ortega told reporters that each district will make its own decisions about how to spend the money. Although teachers maintain priority status in the state’s vaccination plan – currently scheduled for the upcoming Phase 1B – children are not yet able to be immunized against COVID-19 and will still need to follow social distancing protocols.

Districts have until Sept. 30, 2023, to spend the money and could include support for food services, technology purchases, mental health supports, sanitization products and after school programs, Ortega said.

“We continue to emphasize that we want to make sure that schools invest these funds and use them in a way that makes sure that they can begin to provide students with learning opportunities including in-person, as they move forward,” he said. “And then also invest them in ways that address some of the concerns that are emerging to make sure they can help students catch up in terms of things like learning loss and other disruptions that have occurred because of the pandemic.”

Pennsylvania’s 501 school districts face steep financial challenges as strained tax revenues and a mass exodus of students to cyber charter schools stretch their annual budgets. Schools must also pay for personal protective equipment and other unexpected costs arising out of the pandemic restrictions.

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