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.
Outside AISD s Liberal Arts and Science Academy in October 2020 (Photo by Jana Birchum)
After purchasing millions of dollars worth of laptops, iPads, cleaning equipment, and other supplies to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic on its own dime,
Austin ISD will soon receive hundreds of millions in
COVID-19 relief funds from the federal government.
The
$11.2 billion in federal funding for
K-12 education relief to Texas schools, including a
$155.8 million boost for Austin ISD. This funding is a part of
ESSER III, the
Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief portion of the latest of three federal coronavirus relief acts.
Approximately two-thirds of the ESSER III funding, including $104 million for AISD, will be granted to districts soon. The final third, including around $51 million of money intended for Austin, must be held until the
Texas officials have yet to distribute $17.9 billion earmarked for schools in the last two federal coronavirus relief packages, even as their counterparts in other states have begun to direct federal dollars meant to help schools and students hit hard by the pandemic.
The delay has some school administrators and advocates concerned that Texas officials have other plans for the money: supplanting state funding already in draft budgets working their way through the Legislature.
Gov. Greg Abbott requested a waiver in February for $5.5 billion of the relief money the portion approved in December from a requirement that states spend the same proportion of the state budget on education as before the pandemic.
Congressional Democrats condemn Abbott for not releasing billions in federal stimulus dollars intended for Texas public schools
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Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune
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All 13 Texas Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Austin, signed a letter on Monday to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona condemning Gov. Greg Abbott’s for not releasing federal stimulus funding intended for public education.
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The letter comes as Abbott and other state leaders have held up the disbursement of $17.9 billion of additional federal funding intended for Texas school districts. The money was allocated through multiple aid packages passed by Congress over the past year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Congressional Democrats condemn Abbott for not releasing billions in federal stimulus dollars intended for Texas public schools
Texas Democrats in Congress asked the Department of Education to pressure the state to send federal funds to schools as quickly as possible. Author: The Texas Tribune, DUNCAN AGNEW Published: 11:07 AM CDT April 20, 2021 Updated: 11:13 AM CDT April 20, 2021
All 13 Texas Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Austin, signed a letter on Monday to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona condemning Gov. Greg Abbott for not releasing federal stimulus funding intended for public education.
The letter comes as Abbott and other state leaders have held up the disbursement of $17.9 billion of additional federal funding intended for Texas school districts. The money was allocated through multiple aid packages passed by Congress over the past year in response to the COVID-19 pand