By The Associated Press
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday he’s putting an additional $220 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds towards the state’s public schools.
Northam said in a statement the extra money would be used to help schools pay for testing supplies, personal protective equipment and technology needed for virtual learning. Virginia schools are currently operating in a mishmash fashion, with some districts offering in-person instruction while others are mostly virtual.
The governor said the money would be distributed to all 135 school districts at a rate of $175 per pupil. He also said every district would get a minimum of $100,000. That means two districts in the area, Rockbridge County Public Schools and Lexington City Schools, would get a minimum of $200,000. The extra money comes on top of about $300 million in federal funds the governor has directed toward public schools during the pandemic.
The state received $3.1 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds and has roughly $1.3 billion still unallotted.
The $220 million Northam announced Thursday is $20 million more than what House lawmakers said Northam should spend on school costs in their recently proposed budget. The governor recently warned lawmakers that he won’t sign a budget that constricts his ability to spend federal relief funds.
—
Grace Mamon of the Rockbridge Report contributed to this article.