New Report Reveals What Biden Didn't Want to Tell Us About His School Reopening Plan
Emergency funding for reopening schools included in President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package won’t be fully spent until 2028.
Just $38.6 billion of the $128.6 billion allocated for schools in Biden’s proposed relief package will be used by the end of 2022, according to a Congressional Budget Office report released Monday.
The Biden administration has repeatedly stated that public schools nationwide need the money in order to return to in-person classes, but hasn’t explained that the vast majority of the funds — over two-thirds — will be spent after 2022.
“The president’s plan would make sure we have every resource we need to defeat this virus and get life back to normal, including $130 billion to help ensure our kids can go back to school safely,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during a news briefing on Feb. 3.
“The purpose of giving funding … is to ensure that teachers are safe, that kids are safe, that there is necessary [personal protective equipment], that there is ventilation in the school, that there is the environment that allows for children to return safely,” Psaki said. “And that is the president’s focus.”
The White House’s official coronavirus relief strategy released in January promised that the $130 billion in funding would help school districts avoid layoffs, close budget gaps and implement screening testing.
The plan didn’t mention that the funds would be allocated over a seven-year period.
Schools have come under increasing pressure to reopen after nearly a year of remote learning.
Teachers unions, meanwhile, have consistently opposed efforts to reopen classrooms.
The two largest national teachers unions, the American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association, supported Biden’s school funding plan.
“Making these necessary investments is the only way to ensure that school buildings and campuses are reopened in a safe and equitable manner and that all students have what they need to thrive,” NEA president Becky Pringle said in a statement.
Nearly $70 billion in emergency funding for schools has already been allocated to states throughout the pandemic, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
In December, Biden pledged to reopen most public schools in his first 100 days as president. However, Psaki clarified last week that the goal was to open K-8 schools for one day of in-person classes a week.
A recent study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that reopening schools poses little risk to students and teachers.
CDC director Rochelle Walensky also said last week that teachers don’t need a vaccination before returning to in-person classes.
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