Puerto Rico schools to get $600M in federal aid

Puerto Rico will receive nearly $600 million in emergency federal assistance to help the island’s schools recover from Hurricane Maria, the U.S. Department of Education announced Monday.

The new funding is part of the department’s Immediate Aid to Restart School Operations program, also known as the K-12 Restart program, which allows the agency to award emergency assistance to schools affected by last year’s natural disasters, including three hurricanes and wildfires.

“This additional funding will ensure students, teachers and staff have ongoing access to the services they need to fully recover and rebuild,” Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said in a statement.

The department also announced the Texas Education Agency will receive $89.4 million and the California Department of Education will be awarded about $14.4 million.

With the new funding under the Restart program, according to the announcement, the state agencies “will provide assistance or services to local educational agencies,” including charter and private schools, to help cover expenses to restart schools affected by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. This initial funding marks the first phase of a process the department says will give impacted states opportunities to apply for more funding in the future.

Earlier this month, the Department of Education in Puerto Rico announced the closure of over 280 schools, as student enrollment plummeted after Maria and the island continues to experience massive population loss. Since the September storm, thousands of Puerto Rican students have enrolled in schools throughout Central Florida.

The island’s Education Department secretary Julia Keleher said the Restart funds would help restore normal conditions for Puerto Rico schools.