FutureEd Analyzes National and Regional Trends in Schools’ COVID-19 Spending Plans
This week, FutureEd published an analysis of the national and regional trends for how school districts and charter organizations plan to use COVID-relief aid provided by the American Rescue Plan. FutureEd has identified the top priorities for each region of the country by examining the plans of 2,100 local school districts and charter organizations from 48 states that serve nearly 40 percent of all public-school students.
Among the national trends in COVID-spending priorities is the need to hire and reward teachers and specialized instructional support personnel. Addressing staffing concerns ranks as the highest or second highest priority in each region of the country.
Approximately 12 percent of the sample hope to provide staff bonuses or incentive pay to help with educator retention and other schools will prioritize professional development for existing staff members. Many schools plan to use sizeable portions of their funds to hire new teachers, specifically special educators and math and reading interventionists.
FutureEd also identifies summer learning, tutoring, and new HVAC systems as high priority spending areas.