SPRING HOPE, N.C. / AGILITYPR.NEWS / March 08, 2021 / Local schools have millions of dollars allocated for safe reopenings in addition to annual budgets - combatting current false narratives surrounding NC school reopenings

The North Carolina General Assembly has appropriated $1.6 billion in federal funding for NC public schools as part of the state’s most recent COVID-19 relief efforts. Last week, the state announced the projected local education agency allotments. Johnston County schools are eligible for over $29 million in funds, and Nash County schools are eligible for over $16 million.

Local NC school systems must apply for grants from earmarked funds from the Emergency Needs for Elementary and Secondary Schools of the State (ESSER II Funds). Final allotments will be determined based on state reservations and final approved 2020-21 applications.

“This significant boost in funding for local school districts is designated to support safe reopenings across our state. These funds exist in addition to current budgets - so schools can allocate the entirety of this money to opening safely,” said Sen. Barnes. “The narrative that schools aren’t being funded to reopen safely is simply not true. We have the money to reopen with proper PPE, sanitization efforts and other precautionary measures meant to keep students and faculty safe.”

Authorized use of the $1.6 billion includes, but is not limited to: school facility repairs and improvements to reduce risk of virus transmission, the purchasing of educational technology for students to aid in regular and substantive interaction between students and their classroom instructors, training and professional development for staff pertaining to sanitation and minimizing the spread of infectious diseases, and the purchasing of sanitation and cleaning supplies to ensure clean and disinfected school facilities.

House Speaker Tim Moore has also announced that schools can use this federal aid to fund summer programs that aim to reach students who are falling behind.

“It is time that North Carolina’s leaders stop playing politics with our students - and prioritize getting them back to school,” said Sen. Barnes. “The devastating impact that long term school closures have caused NC’s students, along with the learning loss that has been demonstrated in testing results, needs to be addressed. With these significant additional resources, we can safely get students and faculty back into the classrooms.”