Austin ISD will soon receive hundreds of millions in
COVID-19 relief funds from the federal government. The
Texas Education Agency announced Tuesday, April 28, that it would finally be distributing
$11.2 billion in federal funding for
K-12 education relief to Texas schools, including a
$155.6 million boost for AISD. This is part of the
Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (
ESSER) III portion of the latest of three federal coronavirus relief acts. About two-thirds of the funding, including $104 million for AISD, will be granted to districts soon. The final third, including around $52 million intended for Austin, must be held until the
Department of Education approves Texas' plan for its use, but should be available "later this spring," according to a state press release.