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President Biden is requesting more than $130 billion for K-12 schools as part of the American Rescue Plan. We’ve reviewed the White House proposal and here are the 12 key line items, ranked by price tag:
Avoiding layoffs: $60 billion would be used toward closing budget holes “so districts can avoid lay-offs this school year and next”
Social distancing: $50 billion would be used to “increase instructional staffing levels by 10%” to help reduce class size
Extended learning time & support: $29 billion would go toward tutors, summer school and other strategies to provide meaningful additional academic support for low-income students (or a similar share of the student population)
Custodial staff & transportation: $14 billion would go toward hiring additional custodial staff and another $14 billion would go toward “transportation investments to provide for social distancing on buses”
Counselors & health staff: $10 billion would “fund a proper ratio of students-to-counselors,” and an additional $3 billion would help provide nurses “at the 25% of schools without a nurse”
Digital divide & equity gaps: $7 billion would “fund Wi-Fi hotspots and devices for students without connectivity for remote learning.” An additional $2 billion would help fund “educational equity gap challenge grants”
Personal protective equipment and safety materials: $6 billion will go toward PPE for staff and masks for students. An additional $3.5 billion will go toward CDC-recommended safety materials like physical barriers
Community schools: $1 million would to support community schools “which provide a range of wraparound services and supports to students and families”
Today @lrj417 digs further into what is (and isn’t) highlighted in the priorities. She also reports that the $130 billion currently proposed in Biden’s relief plan doesn’t cover the full price tag of everything listed above. Go deeper: https://www.the74million.org/inside-the-130-billion-biden-schools-proposal-big-on-safety-and-teacher-retention-but-experts-warn-may-not-fully-address-student-learning-loss/
