March 26th, 2021 – 11:30 AM
Georgia Department of Education –
Georgia public schools will receive more than $3.8 billion — $3,824,434,000 – in federal stimulus funds under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act. The State Board of Education today approved State School Superintendent Richard Woods’ recommendation to begin allocating the funds to districts.
The federal legislation requires that school districts set aside at least 20 percent of the funds they receive to address student learning loss. The remaining funds are flexible and can be used to support at-risk student populations, distance/remote learning, school meals, mental and physical health, supplemental learning and addressing learning loss, facilities and equipment, continuity of core staff and services, and more.
“These funds will help Georgia schools address learning loss and ensure the safety of students, staff, and families,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods. “I encourage all school districts to take advantage of these resources to continue or expand safe in-person learning options for students.”
The local areas listed below will receive the following funds:
FLOYD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT: $20,406,372
GORDON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT: $12,974,258
BARTOW COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT: $22,728,996
CHATTOOGA COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT: $6,982,597
POLK COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT: $19,802,257
PAULDING COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT: $28,356,912
Background Information:
This is the third round of federal stimulus funding Georgia schools have received, following CARES 1 allocations in May 2020 and CARES 2 allocations in January 2021.
Like CARES 2 funds, these funds do not have an equitable services provision requiring districts to make funding available to private/independent schools within their geographic area. Instead, Congress provided a separate allocation for private/independent schools, called the Emergency Assistance for Non-public Schools (EANS). Private schools can apply for EANS at gadoe.org/EANS.
The funds are allocated based on a district’s proportionate share of Title I funding – for example, if a school district received 2% of Georgia’s overall share of Title I funding in Fiscal Year 2021, they will receive 2% of the ARP allocation. This funding formula is required by federal law and GaDOE does not have the authority to use a different method.