Muscogee schools got $114 million in COVID relief money. Here’s how they’re spending it
Included in this week’s Muscogee County School District budget presentation was an accounting of how MCSD has spent, and plans to spend, its share of federal money for COVID-19 pandemic recovery.
MCSD’s boost in revenue, called Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, came in three batches:
- $10.1 million in March 2020 from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.
- $42.3 million in December 2020 from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act.
- $61.8 million in March 2021 from the American Rescue Plan Act. That’s about two-thirds of the $96.3 million MCSD was allotted
All of which amounts to $114.2 million in COVID relief MCSD has received from the federal government. MCSD’s tentative budget for fiscal year 2022, which starts July 1 and is up for the school board’s vote June 21, comprises $475.5 million in total expenditures from all funds, including $283.9 million from the general fund.
The projected general fund revenue of $290.9 million is about $12.4 million more than the adopted FY 2021 budget.
Here’s a breakdown of the purposes for which MCSD has or will use the federal COVID-19 recovery money:
CARES
- $5.67 million for behavioral support program
- $2.35 million for custodial and grounds contract.
- $920,000 for textbooks.
- $530,000 for personal protective equipment, cleaning and other costs associated with reducing spread of the coronavirus.
- $350,000 for hazard pay.
- $320,000 for private schools. Like some other forms of federal funding for education, such as Title I for students from low-income families, the U.S. government funnels aid for those students attending private schools through public school districts.
CRRSA
- $10.4 million for salaries.
- $8.26 million for summer school.
- $6 million for textbooks.
- $5.67 million for behavior support program.
- $5 million for energy.
- $2.42 million for restoration of job furloughs.
- $2.39 million for indirect costs.
- $1.62 million for school nutrition program.
- $500,000 for one-time salary supplements.
The $10.4 million for salaries allows MCSD to move 184 of its 5,175 employee positions from general funding to federal funding. That extra revenue, MCSD chief financial officer Janice Bloodworth told the school board, helps the administration present a balanced budget without using money from the fund balance.
“If we didn’t have the CARES money, we would be significantly over budget, and we just need to stay mindful of that,” District 5 representative Laurie McRae said.
In the previous two fiscal years, from 2018 to 2020, MCSD’s fund balance decreased from $56 million to $36.8 million. But the administration projects to end FY 2021 and 2022 with a fund balance of $42.4 million.
ARP
The administration is developing its three-year spending plan for the ARP money and has promised to seek public input. Initial ideas include:
- Continue the expanded summer school program.
- Add more part-time intervention staff.
- Allocations to schools based on identified needs.
- Salary supplements to increase employee retention.
- Continuity of services, such as salaries and textbooks.
This story was originally published June 11, 2021 at 12:10 PM.
