COVID-19 funding supports K-12 schools, institutions of higher learning

YARMOUTH, Maine—Coronavirus has disrupted the education system as was known, with a large portion of the nation’s students “educating from home” during the latter part of the 2019-2020 school year. In some areas, next school year doesn’t look any different. In fact, tax revenue losses could sharply cut education funding.

As part of the March-approved $2 trillion stimulus package, Congress allocated approximately $13.2 billion of the $30.75 billion allotted to the Education Stabilization Fund through the CARES Act for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund. K-12 administrators now have the much-needed financial resources to address individual campus needs as they relate to being prepared, responding to catastrophes, planning and coordinating long-term closures and other needs to ensure education continues.

Of the $30.75 billion, $3 billion also goes to the Governors Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund, allowing them to use the funds for school districts or higher education institutions that were “significantly impacted,” while $14 billion goes to the Higher Education Emergency Relief (HEER) Fund, designed to assist students with expenses, such as food, housing, course materials, technology, healthcare and child care,  as related to campus operation disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

This funding opens the door for security manufacturers, dealers, integrators and consultants as schools are at the ready to purchase services and products to better equip their campuses, and they have the funds to do so. Now would be the time to reach out to educational facilities, assess their needs, and demonstrate how your product(s) and/or service(s) will help meet their needs.