Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) officials want public feedback as they plan how to spend taxpayer money they received through the American Rescue Plan (ARP), which is the federal government’s third COVID-19 relief bill.
This, according to a press release that GaDOE officials emailed this week.
GaDOE said they want specific feedback on how best to address what they said are statewide learning loss and other needs. They said this feedback should not address funding allocated to individual school districts.
“We ask that all interested Georgians – students, families, educators, and community members – provide feedback via email to [email protected] by May 19, 2021,” according to the press release.
GaDOE officials ask state residents address the following topics in their emails:
• Their assessment of the top two to three issues currently facing students, schools, or subgroups of students (identify subgroups) as a result of, or in response to, the COVID-19 pandemic.
• What strategies, actions, or promising practices has their school, district, or organization observed as most effective in supporting student needs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic?
• How can GaDOE better support students, families, and schools for the safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services?
The ARP Act became law in March. The U.S. Department of Education’s (ED’s) website says the ARP contains a $1.9 trillion package of assistance measures, including $122 billion for the ARP Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) Fund.
“Funds are provided to state educational agencies and school districts to help safely reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools and address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the nation’s students,” according to the ED.
ED officials said in March that they would allot Georgia more than $4.2 billion. Surrounding states like Tennessee received nearly $2.5 billion while Alabama received more than $2 billion. Florida received more than $7 billion, South Carolina received more than $2.1 billion and North Carolina received nearly $3.6 billion.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Georgia Capitol” by Autiger. CC BY-SA 2.0.
