From POLITICO: “The Council of Chief State School Officers estimates it will cost between $158.1 billion and $244.6 billion to safely reopen schools this fall, after Senate HELP Chair Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) asked for a projection at a hearing this month, the group said. Others also have estimates ranging from $116 billion to $500 billion.
“CCSSO, in a letter sent to Alexander, said its forecast includes “what school systems will need now and over the next two years” as they recover from the pandemic. The group also factored in anticipated declines in state and local funding for education.
“— Alexander said this week that he would support spending billions of dollars to help schools and colleges reopen safely.
“— The estimate takes into account investing in technology for remote learning and tools needed to implement health and safety protocols for in-person instruction. Additionally, the money would go toward ‘addressing students’ academic learning loss and helping students overcome increased trauma and economic and food insecurities.’
“— The group said funding from the CARES Act, H.R. 748 (116), will not be enough to help schools reopen, but ‘the cost estimates do not represent a specific request for additional federal aid in one piece of legislation.'”
Editor’s Note: The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a nonpartisan, nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, the Bureau of Indian Education and the five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions.
