New Britain Schools to Receive $22,902,450 for COVID-19 Response

New Britain schools are set to receive $22,902,450 in federal pandemic response funding, Rep. Bobby Sanchez (D-25) announced.

The school funding, Rep. Sanchez said, was approved by Congress, “as part of the second CARES act that passed in December 2020.” The Connecticut State Department of Education announced the formula by which those federal dollars are to be distributed among school districts in the state.

In December, Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (D-5), who represents New Britain in Congress, said that, “This COVID-19 relief package will invest billions into public education and our child care system, ensuring that schools are able to open safely, and ensure child care centers can continue to operate.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the educational system and on the well-being of all students and educators across Connecticut and the entire country,” Rep. Sanchez said. “I look forward to this round of funding helping with the continuing effort to ease the burden on our local school districts and towns.”

Rep. Sanchez is the Chair of the legislature’s important Education Committee, which is in charge of legislation on primary and secondary education in Connecticut and the State Department of Education.

Rep. Sanchez said that the new funding will be used,

• To assist local school districts, along with state and local health departments, improve the coordinate response to prevent, prepare for and respond to the coronavirus.
• To address learning loss among students, including among at low-income students, minority students and those with disabilities.
• To develop and implement procedures and systems to improve the preparedness and response efforts of our local schools
• To purchase supplies to sanitize and clean the facilities of our local schools
• To plan for, coordinate and implement activities during long-term closures, including providing meals to eligible students, providing technology for online learning to all students, ensuring other educational services can continue to be provided
• To purchase educational technology (including hardware, software, and connectivity)
• To provide mental health services and support
• For school facility repairs and improvements to enable operation of schools to reduce risk of virus transmission and exposure to environmental health hazards, and to support student health needs.

The Connecticut State Department of Education said that the United States Department of Education is providing Connecticut, “$492,426,458 in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds,” under the new COVID-19 education funding. The Connecticut Education Department said that it is allocating the funding among school districts, “on the basis of their respective shares of funds received under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 in fiscal year 2020.”