Fort Worth, Arlington school districts push for funding in next coronavirus package
The Fort Worth and Arlington school districts are among the members of the Council of the Great City Schools who are asking Congress to include funding for local school systems in the next coronavirus aid package.
In a letter to top lawmakers in the House and Senate, schools are seeking $202 billion in relief after schools were forced into emergency action by the coronavirus pandemic. President Trump declared a national emergency in March, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott closed classrooms for the school year April 17.
The money would be used in a variety of ways, with the goal of preventing schools from taking the drastic measure of laying off teachers.
“The ramifications are not only profound for the students involved, but for the nation,” the letters reads. “This educational catastrophe could weaken the country’s economic foundation for years.”
Fort Worth ISD’s Kent Scribner was one of 62 superintendents to sign the letter.
School districts have been providing meals to students and technology for those who don’t have access to computers and Internet access for at-home learning.
The letter asks Congress to approve $175 billion for Educational Stabilization Funds; an additional $13 billion for the Individual with Disabilities Education Act; $12 billion in additional Title I program funding, and $2 billion for E-Rate and emergency infrastructure funds that include public schools.
The Council of the Great City Schools also warned lawmakers that without emergency support, budget cuts for the 2020-21 school year could lead to 275,000 teachers losing their jobs and oversized classes nationwide.
“Remaining teaching staff will likely be redeployed into classes and subjects that they may not be used to teaching — all at a time when they will be asked to address unprecedented unfinished learning from the last school year,” the letter reads.
Schools already received $13.5 billion in federal aid as part of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act signed into law last month.
This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 4:56 PM.
