Federal Funding to Provide COVID-19 Relief
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a double financial burden on school districts across the country. There are considerable costs to providing public education during a pandemic and the depressed economy has reduced the revenues states and school districts have to support public schools. Most school districts do not have sufficient funding to be able to implement public health guidance for social distancing, PPE, ventilation, cleaning, screening, testing, or tracing.
The federal government has so far provided $67.8 billion for PK-12 public schools to address the added costs of operating public schools during this public health crisis. While this does not fully address the enormous shortfall, it opens the door to transition back to in-person learning.
These funds present an opportunity to use outdoor learning to lower the risk of virus transmission while enhancing children’s school experience and well-being. Investments in outdoor learning will be useful for many years.
First COVID-19 Relief Package: CARES Act (HR 748)
Funds for PK-12 School Districts
On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (HR 748), also known as the CARES Act, became law. The CARES Act is a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus bill, and included $13.5 billion for PK-12 school districts. This is funding that schools could use to address added costs associated with reopening and operating schools during the pandemic. These funds were set to expire by December 31, 2020, but the second COVID-19 Relief Package extended time when these funds could be used until December 31, 2021. The U.S. Department of the Treasury has a webpage with broad information about the CARES Act. Click here to visit their website.
Some school districts have used CARES funds to adapt their buildings and grounds for in-person learning. Portland Public Schools in Portland, Maine used a portion of their funds to build outdoor classrooms for the 2020-21 school year so classes can meet outside, year-round, in the fresh air where virus transmission is lower.
Portland Public Schools in Portland, Maine used CARES Act funding (from the first round) to help them build 156 outdoor classrooms across their district. Classes have been engaged in outdoor learning since September, and are continuing to use outdoor spaces through Maine’s winter. For more information, please see the case study. © Laura Newman
Second COVID-19 Relief Package (HR 133)
More Funds for PK-12 School Districts
On December 28, 2020, a second COVID-19 Relief Package (HR 133) for $900 billion became law. This $900 billion includes the Education Stabilization Fund for $81.9 billion for elementary, secondary, and higher education. Included within the Education Stabilization Fund are provisions for $54.3 billion for PK–12 public education within the Elementary and Secondary Schools Education Relief (ESSER) Fund. These $54.3 billion are allocated by formula to states to distribute to local school districts according to Title I Part A. These funds are intended to cover additional costs associated with reopening, learning loss, and increased operating costs due to the pandemic. For the first time, allowable uses for facilities are specified in the law. Other funding that could be used for outdoor learning opportunities is the $4.1 billion for the Governors’ Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Funds. There is a section by section description of HR 133 available online. Click here for the full text of this summary document.
$81.9 billion Education Stabilization Fund
$819 million for the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) and outlying areas
$4.1 billion for the Governors’ Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund
$54.3 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund
$22.7 billion for the Higher Education Emergency Relief (HEER) Fund
Facilities-specific Uses of the second COVID-19 Relief Package (HR 133)
The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds are purposely flexible so they can meet the unique needs of schools and districts. ESSER funds may be used for any existing U.S. Department of Education funded program, including environmental education as provided for in Title IV of the Every Student Succeeds Act, staff development, Head Start, Title I. However, since there has been no facilities program of funding from the U.S. Department of Education, there were concerns that facility related requirements needed to meet public health guidance would not be covered by CARES. Consequently, policy makers included this language to ensure facilities-related mitigation strategies would also be allowable uses of ESSER funds.
The following language was added to the second COVID-19 Relief Package (HR 133):
“(13) School facility repairs and improvements to enable operation of schools to reduce risk of virus transmission and exposure to environmental health hazards, and to support student health needs.
(14) Inspection, testing, maintenance, repair, replacement, and upgrade projects to improve the indoor air quality in school facilities, including mechanical and non-mechanical heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, filtering, purification and other air cleaning, fans, control systems, and window and door repair and replacement.
(15) Other activities that are necessary to maintain the operation of and continuity of services in local educational agencies and continuing to employ existing staff of the local educational agency.”
Importantly, the National Center for Education Statistics defines “facility” as a school building and its grounds. Because extensive evidence exists that transmission of the COVID-19 virus is significantly reduced outdoors, utilizing funds to improve school grounds, equip schoolyards to create outdoor classrooms, and supply teachers and students with necessary materials to effectively utilize outdoor school property, all fall comfortably within the list of allowable uses for ESSER funds. An advantage of spending these funds on outdoor learning is that the outdoor improvements are likely to be sustainable and may be useful for years to come, well after the public health crisis is behind us.
Credits
This page was written by Sarah Bodor, North American Association for Environmental Education; Sharon Danks, MLA-MCP, Green Schoolyards America; Mary Filardo, MPP, 21st Century School Fund and National Council on School Facilities; and Kyle Macdonald, Green Schoolyards America.
National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative
The National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative supports schools and districts around the country in their efforts to reopen safely and equitably using outdoor spaces as strategic, cost-effective solutions to increase physical distancing capacity onsite and provide access to abundant fresh air. The Initiative seeks to equitably improve learning, mental and physical health, and happiness for children and adults using an affordable, time-tested outdoor approach to keeping schools open during a pandemic.
