MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Governor Kay Ivey on Monday awarded $70 million to support the Alabama State Department of Education’s (ALSDE) Education Health and Wellness Grant Program and $100 million to support the Educational Remote Learning Devices Grant Program.
“COVID-19 greatly impacted delivery of instruction within our public schools and, in many cases, exposed our weakest areas of remote learning capabilities,” Ivey said. “I appreciate (State Superintendent of Education) Dr. (Eric) Mackey’s plan that will provide our students the ability to continue learning despite the unprecedented circumstances. These funds will allow local schools to be flexible to meet the unique needs of their students while keeping them as safe as possible.”
Alabama received approximately $1.9 billion of federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) to respond to and mitigate COVID-19. Alabama Act 2020-199 designated up to $250 million of the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) to be used to support the delivery of health care and related services to citizens of Alabama related to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Education Health and Wellness Grant Program will provide $70 million directly to local education agencies for the sole purpose of minimizing the exposure and spread of COVID-19 in Alabama’s public-school system. Local education agencies may only use the grant funds to:
- Fund salaries or wages for health care professionals or aides to provide COVID-19 response or care,
- to contract for specimen collection and testing of COVID-19,
- temporary facility improvements and supplies for nurses’ work areas for COVID-19 response,
- the creation of isolation areas for symptomatic students,
- screening equipment to check body temperature,
- and modification of school transportation vehicles to mitigate or isolate the spread of COVID-19.
“I appreciate Governor Ivey’s continued commitment to education in Alabama,” Mackey said. “The health and well-being of our students, teachers and staff is a vital part of being able to deliver high-quality instruction to our students and this has been a key priority of the State Board of Education. The weighted distribution ensures that funds flow to our most vulnerable students which is critical during the pandemic.”
Alabama Act 2020-199 designated up to $300 million of the Coronavirus Relief Fund to be used for expenditures related to technology and infrastructure related to remote instruction and learning.
The Educational Remote Learning Devices Grant Program will provide $100 million directly to local education agencies to fund the purchase of electronic devices and software and related training and maintenance services, for the purpose of facilitating remote virtual learning and the overall continuity of learning in Alabama’s public school system as a direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The governor and I are mutually committed to ensuring Alabama’s students have the necessary tools to access a quality education,” Sen. Del Marsh, president pro tempore of the Alabama Senate said. “I appreciate Governor Ivey’s work with the State Board of Education, the superintendent and others to implement a program through which local school systems can utilize CARES Act funding to meet students’ technology needs for the upcoming school year.”
Each local education agency applying for reimbursement under the Education Remote Learning Devices Grant Program, prior to expending funds, must provide the ALSDE:
- a remote learning plan compatible with the devices to be purchased,
- information to ensure teachers and instructors are proficient with the operations of the device including technical support,
- a plan developed by each school to ensure each student has access or availability to the internet, and a plan for maintenance of the devices, including software updates, physical repairs, and replacement of lost and damaged devices.
Funds will be awarded to local education agencies based on a formula that accounts for student enrollment, poverty levels, special education students, English learner students, student proficiency levels and the impact of COVID-19.
All local education agencies will receive a minimum of $70,000 from the Education Health and Wellness Grant Program in addition to the amount determined by the formula. All local education agencies will receive a minimum of $100,000 from the Education Remote Learning Devices Grant Program in addition to the amount determined by the formula.
Any contracts or other agreements entered into by ALSDE or local education agencies that utilize the Coronavirus Relief Fund provided under this memorandum of understanding can only be funded with CRF funds until Dec. 15, 2020, at the latest. After Dec. 15, 2020, a different funding source must be utilized for such contracts or other agreements.
