Federal Funding For Pandemic
Dear Editor,
I received my copy of the Wawasee Community School Corporation REPORTER on Saturday. This newspaper contains useful information about the school corporation and the individual schools.
The lead article states, “Utilizing CARES Act funds, we will be providing many additional instructional interventions to not only address any loss of learning occurring from the COVID-19 pandemic but also provide additional academic supports for all students.”
I am pleased that the school corporation is letting the public know about the federal funds it is receiving related to COVID-19, but I would like readers to know that the funding from the CARES Act is not the only source of funding the schools will be receiving.
In fact, the funds from the CARES Act are the smallest allocation of the three COVID-19 relief bills that were passed.
The CARES Act, passed in March 2020, was followed in December 2020 by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act and in March 2021 by the American Rescue Plan (ARP). Here are the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) allocations from each bill for Wawasee and Warsaw Community Schools:
School Corporation |
ESSER I (CARES Act passed March 2020) |
ESSER II (CRRSA Act passed Dec. 2020) |
ESSER III (ARP Act passed March 2021) |
Wawasee |
$369,529 |
$1,312,848 |
$2,948,470 |
Warsaw |
$696,532 |
$2,981,820 |
$6,696,745 |
Tippy Valley and Whitko Schools will also receive funding of lower amounts.
I would also like readers to know that the American Rescue Plan includes additional funding for Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery (CSLFR). The city of Warsaw and the towns in Kosciusko County are slated to receive an estimated $6,870,258 in CSLFR funds.
Not one Republican voted for the American Rescue Plan!
Respectfully,
Vicki Morton
Chair, Kosciusko County Democrats
Syracuse