Federal COVID-19 relief money will go to education in the amount of $123.3 million, said Governor Greg Abbott in a Southern state. This is the final round of money. It came from the relief fund which came through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplement Appropriations Act. This is a bill that does include close to $82 billion in aid for education.

Federal COVID-19 Funding – Emergency Assistance

Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act is what Congress did initially establish the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund. This took place in March 2020. It was to provide local educational agencies and higher education institutions with emergency assistance. This would be in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Texas, through the relief fund, has invested more than $362 million for higher education. There is also $67.5 million for K-12 public education since the beginning of the pandemic. Also, the state has prior did allocate the governor’s relief money for items that included emergency student support, improving distance education course offerings, and information security and accessibility.

In fact, this round of funding consists of $20 million for the Supplemental Special Education Services program. It would provide grants to families of the eligible students that are served by special education. Therefore, in addition, go to include $10 million for charter school grants to expand forth the number of charter schools in the state.

“Thus, the State of Texas does remain committed to students and their continued success in our education systems. This would be to ensure parents have the option to send their kids to a high-quality charter school. It would provide direct support to families with children who do have special needs,” Abbott said. 

Also, Texas is going to provide $25 million to nurses for loan repayment, financial aid, and nursing education. Plus there would be $17.5 million for credentials for digital skills, data analytics, and programs for front-line health care workers.