September 5, 2020
Jackson County Executive Frank White, Jr. this week announced a proposed funding package that would provide millions of federal CARES Act dollars to local schools to assist with their reopening needs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Specifically, the County Executive is proposing that $5,000,000 of the federal CARES Act funds received by Jackson County be distributed to K-12 public school districts within Jackson County. The funding would be used to help elementary and secondary schools address immediate needs of students and teachers, including but not limited to, enhanced wireless internet services, improved education technology, mental health services, COVID-19 testing and nutrition programs.
“This funding will help students, teachers and parents as they are faced with the tremendous challenges and ongoing uncertainty that has been caused by the coronavirus,” said Jackson County Executive Frank White, Jr. “It is extremely important that our support is focused on the schools in Jackson County that are most significantly impact by the COVID-19 pandemic, so they can obtain the additional resources they need as they work to provide the safest and most effective learning environment possible.”
The County Executive’s school funding plan provides new, one-time funding for public school districts, based in part on poverty, and would allow each district significant flexibility in determining how the funds are used. If approved by the County Legislature, the County Executive’s proposal would provide school districts in Jackson County the following allocations:
Blue Springs R-IV – $587,069
Independence-30 – $849,507
Center 58 – $161,008
Kansas City Public Schools – $1,081,527
Fort Osage R-1 – $254,569
Lee’s Summit R-VII – $647,496
Grain Valley R-V – $163,956
Lone Jack C-6 – $21,737
Grandview C-4 – $257,050
Oak Grove R-VI – $82,889
Hickman Mills C-1 – $406,825
Raytown C-2 – $486,365
On March 27, Congress passed and the president signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which established a new $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) for state, county and municipal governments with populations of over 500,000 people to address necessary expenditures incurred due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Accordingly, Jackson County received $122,669,998.30, which may only be used to cover costs that:
• Are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19); and
• Were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved as of March 27, 2020 (the date of enactment of the CARES Act); and
• Were incurred during the period that begins on March 1, 2020 and ends on December 30, 2020.
While this is the County Executive’s proposal, the allocation may not be released to the school districts until it is approved by the County Legislature.
