Q. My district closed schools due to COVID-19 with a plan to re-open after Spring Break—will we qualify to receive funding from the emergency $100 million appropriation in SB 117?
A. Thank you for your question as many local educational agencies (LEAs) are grappling with the current health crisis and are also considering its impact and their options to resume instruction in the coming weeks.
As you note, the COVID-19 emergency relief bill—SB 117, that was passed by the Legislature and will be signed by Governor Gavin Newsom very soon—appropriates $100 million to enable LEAs to “purchase protective equipment, or to pay for supplies and labor related to cleaning school sites, or both” and will be allocated on an average daily attendance basis for LEAs that provide classroom-based instruction between March 4 and June 30.
This provision applies to LEAs that continue to provide classroom-based instruction (did not close schools) and LEAs that temporarily closed schools but have resumed or will resume classroom-based instruction before June 30.
We understand that the Newsom Administration and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction intend to distribute the funding quickly so as to aid LEAs in the safe delivery of education.