Some US schools are forced to make cuts as pandemic aid ends in September
CNN
America’s K-12 schools enjoyed a boost of funding from federal pandemic aid packages during the last three school years, but that cash flow is ending in September just as the new one gets underway – forcing some districts to make tough choices about what to cut.
America’s K-12 schools enjoyed a boost of funding from federal pandemic aid packages during the last three school years, but that cash flow is ending in September just as the new one gets underway – forcing some districts to make tough choices about what to cut. Many schools are considering hiring freezes, scaling back tutoring programs or providing fewer athletic and arts programs. Combined with enrollment declines seen across public K-12 schools, the budget shortfalls could also lead to some school closures. The federal pandemic aid – about $190 billion – came from three spending packages passed by Congress between March 2020 and March 2021. The first two pieces of legislation had bipartisan support and were signed into law by former President Donald Trump. The last and biggest round of funding came from the American Rescue Plan Act, which passed with Democratic votes only during the Biden-Harris administration. In total, the pandemic aid amounted to roughly six times what K-12 schools receive from the federal government in a normal year. “It was an unprecedented influx of federal funds, so the impact is certainly going to be felt by students and teachers,” said Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, a nonpartisan research and policy analysis organization. “But it will be felt more for some than others,” she added.
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