Under formula funding set by Congress through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, Title I schools will receive over $1 billion to support COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts, according to a news release.
Hoffman also announced the use of discretionary dollars available to the Arizona Department of Education under the CRRSA Act to guarantee a baseline funding amount for every public school district and charter organization in the state, according to the release. The ADE used poverty data to ensure a per-pupil award amount and will guarantee $150,000 in relief funding for every public school district and nonprofit charter organization in Arizona, with $175,000 guaranteed for rural school districts and charter organizations, and $200,000 guaranteed for the most remote school districts and charter organizations.
“It’s critical that every school has the necessary resources to support their students, staff and families throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Typically, our small, rural, and remote schools are too often left behind when resources are allocated. That’s why I prioritized ensuring that every public school—regardless of size or location—had access to federal relief funding,” Hoffman said in a news release. “While this significant infusion of federal recovery dollars is good news for Arizona's schools, it is not a substitute for sustainable funding from the state as they move through and beyond the crisis of this pandemic.”
According to data from the ADE, Chandler USD is eligible to receive $13.57 million to offset COVID-19 expenses that have put the district in a difficult position as it budgets for the upcoming fiscal year. The funds are available for obligation through Sept. 30, 2023.
