The temporary increase in public education funding from the pandemic should not be considered the new standard.
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the federal government and many state and local governments stifled the economy by restricting industry or, in some cases, outright prohibiting small businesses from operating. This led to the permanent closure of many businesses and the loss of over 4.2 million jobs between February 2020 and October 2021. To maintain these drastic efforts taken in the name of defeating Covid-19, a series of federal legislation was signed into law from March 2020 to March 2021, including:
1. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Securities (CARES) Act;
2. The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA); and,
3. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
These bills contain economic stimulus packages worth trillions of dollars and include expansive provisions ranging from vaccine and testing efforts to the expansion and creation of numerous welfare programs. One such program authorized in each of the previously mentioned acts of Congress, was the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund.
ESSER was, in part, a response to the loss of tax revenue caused by the restrictions placed on private industry. Across the three authorizations of ESSER, the program awarded $189.5 billion in grants to State educational agencies (SEAs). SEAs then distributed these awards to local educational agencies (LEAs) to assist them in maintaining revenue and responding to Covid-19. The permissible uses of these funds are extensive but broadly relate to ensuring the continuity of education through the Covid-19 pandemic.
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