Blog

Your Education Road Map

Politics K-12®

Politics K-12 kept watch on education policy and politics in the nation’s capital and in the states. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: Federal, States.

Education Funding

See What the Huge COVID-19 Aid Deal Biden Has Signed Means for Education, in Two Charts

By Andrew Ujifusa — March 11, 2021 2 min read
President Joe Biden signs the American Rescue Plan, a coronavirus relief package, in the Oval Office of the White House on March 11, 2021.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

President Joe Biden has signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which will provide a fresh round of coronavirus relief for schools as an unprecedented infusion of federal aid for K-12 education continues.

The legislation includes approximately $129 billion to help students and educators deal with the various impacts of the pandemic; most of that money (about $123 billion) is part of a stabilization fund for elementary and secondary education that’s distributed through the federal Title I formula for disadvantaged students. Local school districts will receive at least 90 percent of that stabilization fund, but they must earmark one dollar out of every five for learning recovery programs.

The bill includes “maintenance of equity” provisions that in general are designed to prevent or minimize state and local cuts to schools serving relatively large shares of students from low-income households.

Through this and two previous COVID-19 relief bills enacted in March and December of last year, public schools have received approximately $195 billion in aid from the federal government. That’s nearly twice the $100 billion K-12 education received in the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, commonly known as the stimulus, to counteract the effects of the Great Recession.

In partnership with the Learning Policy Institute, Education Week has created an interactive database about the American Relief Plan’s main education provisions. Using Congressional Research Service data, it provides estimated per-pupil funding figures by state, funding for local learning-recovery efforts by state, and other details.

See the database below.

“This historic legislation is about rebuilding the backbone of this country,” Biden said when he signed the legislation Thursday.

In a speech Thursday evening marking one year since the declaration of the coronavirus pandemic, Biden lamented “the loss of learning” and other effects COVID-19 has had on children.

Biden said that thanks to the American Rescue Plan, as well as his efforts to accelerate the vaccination of teachers and other school staff, “We can accelerate the massive nationwide effort to reopen our schools safely and meet my goal … of opening a majority of K-8 schools in my first 100 days in office. This is going to be the number one priority of my new secretary of education, Miguel Cardona.”

At the most basic level, the American Rescue Plan reflects Biden’s COVID-19 recovery blueprint, in which he called for $130 billion for K-12 education.

As the legislation worked its way through Congress, lawmakers included the mandatory support for learning recovery efforts, created dedicated funding streams for summer enrichment, after-school programs, private schools, and special education.

The bill also includes $350 billion for state, local, territorial and tribal governments, and $7 billion for the federal E-Rate program to provide students with internet service and internet-connected devices.

Supporters of the American Rescue Plan say it will support urgent K-12 priorities. But critics have questioned whether schools truly need additional federal aid.

A version of this news article first appeared in the Politics K-12 blog.
A version of this article appeared in the March 17, 2021 edition of Education Week as New COVID-19 Aid Headed for State, District Coffers

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
Reading & Literacy Webinar
(Re)Focus on Dyslexia: Moving Beyond Diagnosis & Toward Transformation
Move beyond dyslexia diagnoses & focus on effective literacy instruction for ALL students. Join us to learn research-based strategies that benefit learners in PreK-8.
Content provided by EPS Learning
Classroom Technology Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: Is AI Out to Take Your Job or Help You Do It Better?
With all of the uncertainty K-12 educators have around what AI might mean for the future, how can the field best prepare young people for an AI-powered future?
Special Education K-12 Essentials Forum Understanding Learning Differences
Join this free virtual event for insights that will help educators better understand and support students with learning differences.

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

Education Funding Gun Violence Takes a Toll. We Need More Support, Principals Tell Congress
At a congressional roundtable, school leaders made an emotional appeal for more funds to help schools recover from gun violence.
5 min read
Principals from the Principals Recovery Network address lawmakers on the long-term effects of gun violence on Sept. 23, 2024, in Washington, D.C.
Principals address Democratic members of Congress on the long-term effects of gun violence on Sept. 23, 2024, in Washington, D.C.
Courtesy of Oversight Committee Democrats Press Office
Education Funding ESSER Is Ending. Which Investments Accomplished the Most?
Districts have until Sept. 30 to commit their last round of federal COVID aid to particular expenses.
11 min read
Illustration of falling or declining money with a frustrated man in a suit standing on the edge of a cliff the shape of an arrow dollar sign.
DigitalVision Vectors
Education Funding Explainer How One Grant Can Help Schools Recover From Shootings
Schools can leverage a little-known emergency grant to recover from violence or a natural disaster. Here’s how.
9 min read
Broken piggy bank with adhesive bandage on the table
iStock/Getty
Education Funding A Funding Lifeline for Rural Schools Is at Risk, and Not for the First Time
Rural schools near national forests rely on dedicated federal funds. But so far, lawmakers haven't renewed them.
7 min read
School bus on rural route, Owens Valley, CA.
iStock/Getty