Budget & Finance

10 Reasons Districts Struggle to Spend Federal Relief Funds

By Mark Lieberman & Vanessa Solis — April 08, 2022 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

School districts got hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds to help students emerge stronger from the pandemic. But spending that money isn’t as easy as pushing a button or writing a check. Districts have encountered logistical and political resistance at many stages. Here’s what districts have to overcome to invest relief funds.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the April 27, 2022 edition of Education Week as Why Districts Struggle To Spend Federal Relief Funds

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Mathematics Webinar
Pave the Path to Excellence in Math
Empower your students' math journey with Sue O'Connell, author of “Math in Practice” and “Navigating Numeracy.”
Content provided by hand2mind
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Recruitment & Retention Webinar
Combatting Teacher Shortages: Strategies for Classroom Balance and Learning Success
Learn from leaders in education as they share insights and strategies to support teachers and students.
Content provided by DreamBox Learning
Classroom Technology K-12 Essentials Forum Reading Instruction and AI: New Strategies for the Big Education Challenges of Our Time
Join the conversation as experts in the field explore these instructional pain points and offer game-changing guidance for K-12 leaders and educators.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Budget & Finance District Leaders Want More Time to Spend ESSER Funds—and More Money, Too
On Capitol Hill, superintendents pointed to big wins fueled by federal relief aid, from extended learning time to mental health support.
4 min read
Illustration of a man pushing half of clock and half of a money coin forward on a red arrow
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Budget & Finance Q&A Why Are K-12 Funding Inequities So Pervasive? A French Scholar of U.S. Education Weighs In
Esther Cyna brings a unique perspective as a French scholar studying school finance in the United States.
6 min read
Image of a globe.
Canva
Budget & Finance Every Student Needs School Supplies. But Who Pays for Them?
Some districts cover the costs of classroom materials, while others expect parents or teachers to pay.
4 min read
A display of school supplies in a Walmart in Pittsburgh on July 19, 2018.
A display of school supplies in a Walmart in Pittsburgh on July 19, 2018.
Gene J. Puskar/AP