Speaker of the
United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, unveiled a fifth
Coronavirus relief bill Tuesday. The HEORES Act would appropriate $3 trillion
dollars of funding to state and local governments, healthcare systems, a second
round of stimulus checks to individuals, and an array of other priorities to
combat the economic calamity brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The following
provisions of interest to public school divisions are included in the
legislation unveiled by House leaders:
·
Department
of Education: $110.15
billion to support the educational needs of States, school districts, and
institutions of higher education in response to the Coronavirus, including:
o
$90
billion for a State Fiscal Stabilization Fund for grants to States to support
statewide and local funding for elementary and secondary schools and public
postsecondary institutions. This flexible funding can support:
§
Costs
associated with making up instructional time, including teacher, school leader,
and classified school employee personnel costs;
§
Providing
school-based supports for impacted students, families, and staff, including
counseling, mental health services, family engagement efforts, and the
coordination of physical health services;
§
Costs
associated with sanitation and cleaning for schools and school transportation;
§
Professional
development for school-based staff on trauma-informed care to restore the
learning environment;
§
Purchasing
additional technology, including assistive technology, that aids in regular and
substantive interactions between students and their classroom instructor;
§
Coordination
between State educational agencies and public health departments for emergency
planning, response, and recovery; and
§
Authorized
activities under education statutes including ESEA, IDEA, McKinney-Vento
Homeless Assistance Act, the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, and the
Perkins Act.
·
Broadband:
$1.5 billion to close
homework gap by providing funding for Wi-Fi hotspots and connected devices for
students and library patrons, and $4 billion for home connectivity needs.
·
Child
Nutrition: $3 billion
in additional funding to provide emergency relief to school meal providers and
USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program.
·
State
Fiscal Relief: $500
billion in funding to assist state governments with the fiscal impacts from the
public health emergency caused by the Coronavirus.
·
Local
Fiscal Relief: $375
billion in funding to assist local governments with the fiscal impacts from the
public health emergency caused by the Coronavirus.
House leaders
are aiming for the HEROES Act to be debated and voted on by members of the
United States House of Representatives as early as Friday, May 15. If passed by
the House, the legislation would need approval by the United States Senate
before heading to the President for final action.
The Virginia
School Boards Association will continue to monitor the developments surrounding
the HEROES Act, as well as, other pertinent information on the Coronavirus
pandemic. If you have questions, please contact VSBA Government Relations
Specialist, J.T. Kessler, at jason@vsba.org.
