MELROSE – Katherine Clark was able to get $900,000 for the school district she once served.
The one-time Melrose School Committeewoman — now one of the most powerful people in Washington, D.C. — announced recently that the American Rescue Plan includes $900,000 for the Melrose Public School district, a portion of the over $3.1 billion in emergency education funding to support Massachusetts schools and families.
“When President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law last month, we knew that help was on the way. Today, I’m happy to announce just how substantial that aid will be for Melrose schools, families, and child care providers,” said Clark, who is the assistant speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. “With this funding, Melrose schools, and schools across the district, will be able to open their doors and provide essential services to keep the entire school community safe. This pandemic and its physical, emotional, and economic fallout have made life increasingly hard for students and families, but this funding provides vital relief to get the Commonwealth and country back on its feet.”
“The American Rescue Plan will provide essential funding that will support our Melrose Public Schools COVID-19 recovery plans,” said Julie R. Kukenberger, Superintendent of Melrose School. We know that this will be a multi-year recovery process, focused on maintaining existing services while also adopting innovative strategies to accelerate learning for all students. Our primary focus in the coming months will be to ensure that all staff and students have access to the academic, social, emotional, and physical support they need to get back on track and realize their own unique potential. Each week, we are welcoming more students and staff back to full in-person learning, and the previous federal relief funds have been essential in ensuring we have all of the safety equipment, COVID-19 pooled testing protocols, technology, and other necessary resources to reopen our school buildings safely.”
In total, Massachusetts will receive an estimated $512,000,000 for child care providers and families, $13,628,000 for Head Start programs, $1,830,128,000 for K-12 schools, and $825,467,000 for higher education institutions.
Nationwide, the American Rescue Plan provides:
• More than $120 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, which will give schools the resources they need to reopen safely for in-person instruction and address the significant impact of the pandemic on students’ education and well-being.
• $40 billion for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, which is awarded directly to institutions of higher education. At least half of the funding institutions receive must be distributed to students in the form of emergency grants to prevent hunger, homelessness, and other hardships caused by COVID-19.
• $39 billion in supplemental funding for child care, which will help child care providers keep their doors open and reduce costs for struggling families.
• $1 billion in emergency funding for Head Start, which will be used to maintain access to services for children and families.
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Original story here.