NJ awarded $310 million in CARES Act funds for K-12 education

From enhancing distance learning to cleaning school buildings, local school districts are beginning to consider how to spend their share of the $310 million allocated this week in federal stimulus money for New Jersey education in response to COVID-19.

State Department of Education spokesman Michael Yaple said Friday the state was notified Tuesday that its application for the funding under the CARES Act was approved.

Yaple said the state has not received the funding yet but expects it shortly, and is in the process of developing the application for school districts to apply for the aid.

New Jersey school districts, which closed buildings and transitioned students to remote learning in mid-March due to the new coronavirus outbreak, will split 90% — or $280 million — of the funds awarded to the state. The remaining 10% can be used by the DOE to “address needs related to responding to coronavirus,” according to the federal guidance.

School officials said the funding is critical for districts to operate and reopen in September.

“The challenges facing local boards of education in reopening schools eclipse those involved in closing buildings and moving to remote instruction,” said Frank Belluscio, deputy executive director of the New Jersey School Boards Association.

Under the provisions of the law, the CARES Act funds can be used for a variety of things from increasing technology, to cleaning and sanitizing efforts, to summer learning, to mental health services. Yaple said the funds may be used for any expense incurred after March 13.

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said the stimulus funds had “very few bureaucratic strings attached,” empowering school districts to be agile.

“I encourage them to focus on investing in the technology, distance learning resources, training and long-term planning that will help education continue for both teachers and students, no matter where learning takes place,” she said in March.

Schools in South Jersey are likely to see hundreds of thousands, if not millions, in the vital federal funding.

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According to the Education Law Center, which estimated district-by-district funding in New Jersey from the CARES Act based on enrollment and current Title I funding distribution, Atlantic City could receive $6 million, Pleasantville $2 million, Egg Harbor Township $1.5 million, Bridgeton $3.6 million, Millville $2.5 million and Vineland $4.5 million.

Pleasantville Business Administrator Elisha Thompkins said funds his district would receive from the CARES Act would be focused on safety and cleaning, as well as feeding families.

“Every dime is important to the district,” Thompkins said, adding the district has not received any guidance from the state so far on the federal emergency funding. “We’re just putting in the paperwork. We don’t know how much we’re going to get or even the turnaround time.”

Lower Cape May Regional Superintendent Joe Castellucci said his district, which could receive $313,000, is beginning to prioritize areas such as increasing access to technology and internet for students, more personal protective equipment for staff and students such as masks and gloves, cleaning supplies, training for remote learning, and mental health supports.

“This funding will be quite important since our budget does not typically include sufficient funds we may need for social distancing should we reopen, such as glass or divider shields at desks and in our lunch room, providing PPE for all students and staff and other safeguards to keep everyone safe from the virus,” Castellucci said.

He said they may also need to use funds to accommodate reducing building capacity through split sessions.

Belluscio noted the financial and logistical implications of accommodating social distancing in school buildings if they reopen in September.

“Although a road map for reopening schools has not yet been established by New Jersey state education officials, strategies have been discussed in other venues,” Belluscio said, noting that Maryland’s recovery plan for education suggests rotation of students and combining face-to-face and distance learning.

“So in addition to any impact on employment and transportation costs, schools would have to increase investments in technology,” he said.

Belluscio said the New Jersey School Boards Association is working with the National School Boards Association in support of federal legislation to create an Emergency Connectivity Fund to reduce the digital divide and support distance and remote learning for students without home internet access.