Arizona Schools Will Receive Another $862 Million in American Rescue Plan Funds

Arizona public schools will receive another $862 million in American Rescue Plan funding after the Department of Education approved the Grand Canyon Education Department’s  Arizona’s American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) plan.

The goals of these funds are to assist schools in:

• Safely reopening and adopting mitigation measures to fully operate in-person instruction during the COVID 19 Pandemic.
• Providing extended learning opportunities for students to catch up on material they may have missed during the pandemic in the 2020/21 school year.
• Assisting instructors and helping to retain them and recruit others.

Arizona schools have already received about $1.6 billion in American Rescue Plan funding. This final installment will bring the Grand Canyon state total to approximately $2.5 billion.

On Arizona’s plan, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona commented:

“I am excited to announce the approval of Arizona’s plan. It is heartening to see, reflected in these state plans, the ways in which states are thinking deeply about how to use American Rescue Plan funds to continue to provide critical support to schools and communities, particularly as we enter the upcoming academic year. The approval of these plans enables states to receive vital, additional American Rescue Plan funds to quickly and safely reopen schools for full-time, in-person learning; meet students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs; and address disparities in access to educational opportunity that were exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. The state plans that have been submitted to the Department lay the groundwork for the ways in which an unprecedented infusion of federal resources will be used to address the urgent needs of America’s children and build back better.”

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman relayed:

“With our state’s approved ARP ESSER plan, we are ready to continue providing significant recovery resources to our public education system. This plan provides a recovery roadmap for our public schools and the students they serve by prioritizing support for student mental health, academic enrichment, and reinforcements for accelerating learning. I am grateful for the input and expertise of the broad group of educators, school leaders, and community stakeholders who helped inform the plan. Working together to support the needs of our students must be our sole focus in the years ahead, and I am optimistic about what we can accomplish together as a state in support of our students’ futures.”

Senator Mark Kelly wrote:

“Arizona students, educators, and families have faced immense challenges over the past year and a half as we’ve navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. With students back in the classroom, it is critical that schools receive the resources they need to support students. That’s why I voted to pass the American Rescue Plan back in March, and with the approval of Arizona’s plan today, we can continue working toward recovery, re-engagement, and learning reinforcement for Arizona’s students.”

Arizona Congressional District Seven House Representative Ruben Gallego stated:

“Students in Arizona have been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, both inside and outside the classroom. Almost immediately after taking office, the Biden-Harris Administration swiftly moved to provide students the resources needed to overcome the obstacles of the past 19 months, and I’m glad to see the Department of Education approve Arizona’s plan to get these American Rescue Plan funds into classrooms.”

 

 

 

Note these monies, allocated after a review of the Arizona Department of Education plan, are not connected to the $173 million in American Rescue Plan funding that Governor Doug Ducey, without any basis in science or public safety standards, has attempted to give schools that are not seeking to follow proper COVID 19 safety protocols.

The Department of Treasury has already informed the Governor that his office can not use the funds for that purpose and has given him 30 days to come up with a response.

Hoffman’s Department of Education demonstrates how funding schools for public safety, empowering instructors, and helping to bring students back up to grade level should be done.