With ESSER Funding, What Can We Expect from Billings Schools?
Have you ever gone into a restaurant or sporting goods store and paid good money for something and were disappointed in the product? You thought that for that kind of money it should have been much better. Well, according to the Montana Office of Public Instruction Billings Elementary Schools and Billings High Schools are receiving almost $46M in Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief Funding. 46 million dollars.
Now, here s the question: are we going to get a return on our investment?
Where is all that money going to be spent? Why then did they want to run another mill levy? 46 mIllion dollars. With this huge investment by taxpayers are we going to see an increase in our test scores in the district? Will we see better ACT scores so kids can get into our colleges? Is any of this money going to be used for wish list projects or athletics? Keep in mind that every school in Montana will receive money.
Garfield Re-2 District Chief Financial Officer David Trautenberg is “cautiously optimistic” that the district will have a bit more funding to work with for the next school year.
Gov. Jared Polis, who recently proposed $6.6 billion in total statewide funds for K-12 spending for fiscal year 2021-2022, is focused on getting the budget stabilization factor back down to “a very low level,” Trautenberg said. At its worst throughout the pandemic, the state’s stabilization factor, a formula created in the aftermath of the Great Recession that determines funding for K-12 education, was -17%.
Polis’ goal is to decrease the factor to -6.6%, a low that hasn’t been reached since fiscal year 2010-2011. The proposal would mark a 19% increase or $810 million from the 2020-2021 funding amount.
Maury County Public Schools will seek additional funding to support its students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
An extension of the CARES Act, the Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief Funding program will provide one-time funding to MCPS to combat student learning loss and support facility repairs and improvements to limit potential exposure to the virus.
The school district is vying for approximately $8 million through the program, following $2.1 million awarded to the local school district by the program last year.
The district’s deadline to apply for the additional funding with a corresponding proposal is March 1. The school district is beginning its work of submitting the formal request to the Tennessee Department of Education.
Gov. Whitmer announced the Michigan COVID Recovery Plan, unemployment updates
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, with Chief Medial Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, provided an update on COVID-19 in Michigan on Dec. 1, 2020. Photo courtesy of Michigan Executive Office of the Governor.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the Michigan COVID Recovery Plan addressing vaccine distribution, support for small businesses, food and rental assistance, schools and more.
Whitmer said that the MEDC will provide $225 million to fund an additional three programs that will support small businesses as a part of the Michigan COVID Recovery Plan.
The Michigan Mainstreet Initiative will provide grants to restaurants and other place-based small businesses. The Michigan Microenterprise Support Initiative will support businesses with less than nine employees that have struggled during the pandemic. The Business Accelerator and Resiliency Initiative will provide grants to high-tech startups.