Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced the Commonwealth's schools will
receive $66.8 million through the federal Governor’s Emergency Education Relief
(GEER) Fund to expand distance learning opportunities, fund services for
students disproportionately impacted by loss of class time, and provide
financial assistance to higher education students and institutions impacted by
the COVID-19 pandemic.
The GEER Fund was authorized by Congress through the Coronavirus
Aid, Recovery, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The fund provides states the flexibility to determine how best to allocate the emergency assistance to meet their
educational needs.
- Governor Northam is distributing $43.4 in GEER funding for the following PreK-12 priorities:
- $26.9 million to support short-term and long-term initiatives expanding high-speed internet access to all communities in the Commonwealth, including providing laptop computers and Mi-Fi devices for students without home internet access.
- $10 million to expand early childhood education and child care programs in the Commonwealth, especially for children with academic and social-emotional needs.
- $3.5 million to support the expansion of the Virtual Virginia online learning program to provide content for elementary and middle school students; allow teachers in all school divisions to use the platform to create, edit, and share content as well as provide personalized virtual instruction for all students; and expand the Virtual Virginia Professional Learning Network, in partnership with the Virginia Society for Technology, to ensure that educators and technology-support personnel have the capacity and skills to meet the demand for quality online learning; and
- $3 million to cover unfunded costs for the continuation of school-based meals programs while schools remain closed, including hazard pay for school nutrition staff.
To read the full release of the Governor's announcement, please click here. If you have any questions regarding the GEER fund, please contact VSBA Government Relations Specialist, J.T. Kessler, at jason@vsba.org.
