With the September 30th deadline swiftly approaching, Arizona schools are in a race against time to allocate their shares of the $2.36 billion federal COVID funding before it's too late. According to KTAR, the remaining $432 million is at risk of being reverted to the federal government if not promptly obligated.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has been vocal about the urgency of the situation, having stated, "We have been in contact, in many cases multiple times, with districts and charters to remind them of they're responsibility to obligate these funds." The spotlight is on districts that have scarcely used, or outright ignored, the opportunity to use these funds. Highlighted by Horne were examples including Khalsa Family Services, Satori, Inc., and the Pima County Accommodation District, all under scrutiny for their inaction.
While some districts may appear laggardly in spending, it's been indicated by ABC15 that the issue might partly lie with the reimbursement process. For instance, the deputy superintendent of the Deer Valley Unified School District, Gary Zehrbach, explained, "Our funds are spent and so even though it may show on the dashboard that not all of the ESSER have been allocated, in actuality they have." This statement suggests a certain time delay in the reimbursement and subsequent data update on the state's dashboard.
Yet, there's hope as districts pull together to meet their responsibilities. As Horne optimistically noted, a significant portion of the funding, approximately $175 million, has been drawn down since August. Echoing this sentiment of resilience and latent capability, Horne added, "That outcome is still avoidable if they simply do the work that we have been urging them to do." Such efforts are critical to capitalize on resources aimed to encourage recovery and growth in the wake of widespread educational disruptions caused by the pandemic.
The situation underlines larger debates concerning budgets, bureaucracy, and the effective distribution of emergency funds. While some districts articulate that their allotted monies have been committed to necessary expenditures, the state education department highlights discrepancies that need urgent resolution. What remains clear is that the end-of-year deadline to spend the dollars is definitive, and proper allocation could provide a lifeline for school districts struggling to overcome the challenges that the pandemic has left in its wake.
