The $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, titled the American Rescue Plan, was passed by the Senate on March 6, went back to the House for final approval and was signed into law by President Biden last Thursday. The package allocates an additional $170 billion for K-12 schools and higher education, including about $120 billion for K-12 schools and $40 billion to support higher education institutions. Read more on our full blog and the statement from the U.S. Department of Education. Here are a few other notes from the week:
- Plan to Get School Staff Vaccinated: The Department of Education released a statement about getting school staff the COVID-19 vaccination. The department promises to continue providing additional guidance and information on how to access appointments through the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, a collaboration between the federal government, states and territories, and pharmacy networks to increase access to COVID-19 vaccinations, in addition to state and local vaccination programs. Along with the department’s guidance, the CDC released an update to a COVID-19 vaccine toolkit resource for schools, school staff and students, as well as information on how teachers, staff and students can get vaccinated and how to schedule an appointment to receive a vaccine.
- House Appropriations Committee Restoring a Limited Version of Earmarks: House Appropriations Chairwoman Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) announced that the House would restore earmarks, albeit a more transparent and limited version, ending a decade-long prohibition. The Senate is debating the measure but has yet to decide on how to proceed, if at all. However, this move could greatly benefit education because historically higher education was one of the bigger recipients of earmarked funds. Read more on our full blog.
- Guidance for Schools on How to Use the American Rescue Plan Funding: The Department of Education announced additional guidance on how to use the American Rescue Plan’s $140 billion funding to K-12 schools to help schools implement safe reopening measures and address the needs of students.
- New CTE-related Grant Awardees: The Institute for Education Sciences awarded two new CTE-related grants under the Using Longitudinal Data to Support State Education Policymaking competition. One grant was awarded to the Delaware Department of Education for a project titled The Distributional Effects of Secondary Career and Technical Educational (CTE) Programs on Postsecondary Educational and Employment Outcomes: An Evaluation of Delaware's CTE Programs of Study, and the second grant was awarded to the Tennessee Department of Education for Analyzing and Understanding the Educational and Economic Impact of Regional Career Pathways.
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