Experts: Aid could go ‘a long way’ to help schools reopen
The proposed federal COVID-19 relief package would provide Pennsylvania’s schools with more than double the funding they got from the previous stimulus bill.
Nearly $130 billion of the $1.9 trillion bill would be set aside for schools, according to the House Committee on Education and Labor, of which Pennsylvania would receive $4.7 billion.
“This would go a long way to satisfying what is needed to fully open our schools and put them in a position so they can have in-person learning as soon as possible,” said Mark DiRocco, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators.
A spokeswoman for the House Committee on Education and Labor said the funding would be provided to state education agencies, with 90% of the money going to schools.
Schools will be able to use the funding for a variety of issues they face related to the pandemic, from repairing ventilation systems to hiring support staff to caring for students’ health and well-being.
Pennsylvania received $2.2 billion from the relief bill passed by Congress and signed by thenPresident Donald Trump in late December. At the time, experts said the money was helpful but that more would be needed to help schools recover from the pandemic.
“It’s not going to be needed permanently down the road, but for the next year or two, you’re going to need to have extra staff and extra resources to help kids through learning loss, social-emotional needs.”
— Mark DiRocco, executive director, Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators
The Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials predicted in the spring that schools across the state could face shortfalls of as much as $1 billion. This bill could help alleviate some of the problems schools would face because of that deficit.
“I think this is going to be extremely beneficial to get some of those large system issues taken care of, whether it’s HVAC, ventilation and filtration issues,” Mr. DiRocco said. “Some of these districts have been delaying that kind of work and maintenance for years due to budget difficulties.”
The bill has one significant difference from previous relief packages in that schools must reserve at least 20% of their funds to address learning loss.
Federal, state and local education officials have expressed concerns over the impact the pandemic has had on student learning in the past year due to the transition between inperson and remote instruction, lack of access for some, and other difficulties caused by upheaval and uncertainty.
Mr. DiRocco said it was well known that many students will need extra supports in their education after the past year. That may include hiring extra tutors or substitute teachers who can help bring students up to speed more quickly.
“That’s going to take some extra money,” he said. “It’s not going to be needed permanently down the road, but for the next year or two, you’re going to need to have extra staff and extra resources to help kids through learning loss, social- emotional needs.”
Pittsburgh Public Schools would receive close to $130 million of the state’s share of the funding. The district got about $ 50 million from the December stimulus bill. A PPS spokeswoman said district officials would reserve comment until the funding becomes more concrete.
Though the bill will likely pass the Democratic-controlled House, it may face some challenges getting passed by the evenly split Senate, where all 50 Democratic votes are needed. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has signaled reservations over various parts of the package.
Other local school districts that could receive some of the highest amounts of funding from the bill include McKeesport Area at close to $20 million; Woodland Hills at nearly $19 million; Connellsville Area at about $15.5 million; Penn Hills with more than $14.5 million; and Butler Area at about $13 million.