With nearly $190.5 billion earmarked for helping schools cope with the ramifications of the novel coronavirus pandemic, some leaders are eyeing the use of those funds for related school construction projects.
In 2020, Congress passed two relief bills providing nearly $67.8 billion to the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund — the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act in March and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act in December.
Those funds were eligible for COVID-19 construction projects, but schools had a more immediate need: putting them to use for technology, PPE, staffing and short-term changes that could get kids back to school.
