(WWJ) Billions of dollars sent to Michigan from Washington D.C. will go directly schools, the government says.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday visited Ojibwa Elementary School in Macomb where she signed House Bill 4421, which appropriates $4.4 billion in federal COVID relief funding to support schools across the state and help students, teachers, and schools recover from the pandemic.
The state says what it's calling "historic education funding" represents the bipartisan work completed in late June to ensure that Michigan’s K-12 education system takes advantage of federal funding to make "unprecedented investments in our schools."
“We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make the type of investment in our schools that will put Michigan students and educators first as they head into the next school year,” said Whitmer, in a statement. “Our actions today prove that Republicans and Democrats in Lansing can work together to enact budgets that are laser-focused on helping Michigan take full advantage of the unprecedented opportunity we have right now to make transformative investments in our schools that will have positive impacts for generations.”
The bipartisan supplemental bill distributes over $4 billion from the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER, to power schools’ efforts to get our kids back on track. A total of $841 million comes from ESSER II funding from December 2020, while $3.3 billion comes from ESSER III funding from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan.
The ESSER funds will be distributed to districts based on their Title I, Part A allocation - which means more money will get to districts that serve students with the highest need, according to the governor's office.
“Earlier this year, I appointed the Student Recovery Advisory Council to better understand our schools’ needs and identify evidence-based strategies to help every student thrive after the pandemic,” Whitmer said “We know this recovery isn’t just about brushing up on fractions or remembering when to use the quadratic formula. Our students need a comprehensive recovery.”
What will the money be used for?
Officials says the funds help meet a "wide range of needs arising from the coronavirus pandemic" — including reopening schools safely, sustaining their safe operation, and addressing students’ social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs resulting from the pandemic.
Rep. Regina Weiss, D-Oak Park said billions of dollars will directly into schools and classrooms for PPE, support staff, academic intervention, mental health services, air quality improvements and more.
"This critical support will help students across Michigan return to learn, and sets a strong foundation moving forward for what meaningful investments in education should look like," Weiss said.
Today’s funding represents supplemental funding for the current year budget. Legislation for the school aid budget for next fiscal year beginning October 1 is currently being reviewed.
“This federal funding is a game-changing opportunity to invest in our students and schools, from aiding learning recovery, to addressing the educator shortage, to fixing aging school infrastructure,” said MEA President Paula Herbart. “This infusion of cash won’t permanently solve decades of underfunding education, but in the short run it can show our communities what’s possible when we properly fund our schools.”