$3B in School Relief Block Grants to States Address COVID-19 Impacts

April 15, 2020

The U.S. Department of Education announced how much each state is set to receive from a nearly $3 billion pot of money allocated from the CARES Act, to support the current needs of students and schools amid COVID-19 school closures.

STATE GOVERNOR’S EDUCATION RELIEF FUND COMPONENT OF EDUCATION STABILIZATION FUND
(Based on the CARES Act)

Alabama $48,851,495
Alaska $6,503,527
ARIZONA $69,196,325
ARKANSAS $30,663,725
CALIFORNIA $355,227,235
COLORADO $44,004,996
CONNECTICUT $27,881,682
DELAWARE $7,916,821
District of Columbia $5,807,678
FLORIDA 173,585,880
GEORGIA 105,720,728
HAWAII 9,993,387
IDAHO 15,676,340
ILLINOIS 108,497,757
INDIANA 61,590,954
IOWA 26,217,108
KANSAS 26,274,163
KENTUCKY $43,799,187
LOUISIANA $50,276,799
MAINE $9,273,552
MARYLAND $45,657,990
MASSACHUSETTS $50,843,703
MICHIGAN $89,432,673
MINNESOTA $43,427,249
MISSISSIPPI $34,662,872
MISSOURI $54,643,115
MONTANA $8,764,495
NEBRASKA $16,357,685
NEVADA $26,477,349
NEW HAMPSHIRE $8,891,470
NEW JERSEY $68,864,994
NEW MEXICO $22,262,663
NEW YORK $164,286,083
NORTH CAROLINA $95,638,869
NORTH DAKOTA $5,932,707
OHIO $104,917,025
OKLAHOMA $39,919,354
OREGON $32,507,956
PENNSYLVANIA $104,418,240
RHODE ISLAND $8,704,245
SOUTH CAROLINA $48,467,924
SOUTH DAKOTA $7,944,013
TENNESSEE $63,582,031
TEXAS $307,026,008
UTAH $29,189,663
VERMONT $4,488,802
VIRGINIA $66,775,322
WASHINGTON $56,769,263
WEST VIRGINIA $16,353,314
WISCONSIN $46,550,411
WYOMING $4,700,937
PUERTO RICO $47,812,236
TOTAL $2,953,230,000

Source: U.S. Department of Education

The Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund is derived from the $30.75 billion CARES Act Education Stabilization Fund. Allocations are based on each state’s student-aged population and poverty levels.

In a letter to the 50 governors on Tuesday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos wrote that each state will dictate how the block grants will be spent.

“My department will not micromanage how you spend these funds, but I encourage you, at a time when so many school boards, superintendents, and institutions of higher education have had to close their brick and mortar campuses for the balance of the school year, to focus these resources on ensuring that all students continue to learn most likely through some form of remote learning,” DeVos advised. “They and their families are depending on your leadership to ensure that they don’t fall behind.”

It is conceivable that governors could steer some funds toward K-12 school district transportation departments and school bus contractors. Many districts nationwide are utilizing school buses to deliver meals to students who are staying at home, where they are taking online classes.

Additionally, school buses are delivering school supplies and homework to students who can’t access online study programs. In areas where districts have Wi-Fi routers installed on school buses, the vehicles are parking in the community to provide internet access to students who have limited or no broadband options.