Schools across the country are preparing to see their budgets shift from flush to strained as billions of pandemic aid runs out in less than a year, putting at risk staffing and programs added with Covid-relief funds.
The 2023-24 school year represents the last full year in which districts can spend down what remains of the $180 billion in federal Covid-19 aid. High-poverty districts typically received more emergency relief, so now face steeper cuts as the money runs out.
In New York City, which received $7 billion in education aid, the state comptroller projects that the schools will run short of money to continue to fund prekindergarten expansion and a widely attended summer program. In Los Angeles, the district is funding more than 2,000 staff positions this year with the federal aid, while its budget office is warning of a “structural deficit.”
At the moment, schools largely remain flush. But they are barreling toward a fiscal cliff at the same time students remain behind academically. That means officials are attempting a high-stakes balancing act: spending the remaining Covid-relief funds effectively, while trying to limit disruptive budget cuts in later years.
Billions in pandemic education aid runs out in under a year, posing a risk for schools that added staffing and programs with the Covid relief https://t.co/IM6bGBN2Q5
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) October 30, 2023