Federal Coronavirus Aid For Schools: See How Much VT Schools Got

VERMONT — The federal government has poured some $190 billion into the nation’s schools since March 2020 to help offset the costs of coping with the coronavirus pandemic — more than four times what the U.S. Education Department spends on K-12 schools in a typical year.

About $413.5 million of that total went to Vermont schools, according to an analysis by the Associated Press.

Relying on data published or provided by states and the federal government, the AP also tallied how much money was granted to nearly every school district in the state and country.

The AP tracked more than $156 billion out of the $190 billion sent to states to distribute among schools since last year, including general pandemic relief that some states shared with their schools. Some districts will receive sums amounting to 50 percent or more of the cost to run their schools for a year.

The aid averages nearly $2,800 per student nationwide, but it varies widely by district and state, according to the AP's analysis.

The AP did not provide state-by-state per-pupil figures, except to note that districts in Louisiana and the District of Columbia averaged more than $2,100 per student, while those in Utah received a little more than $400 each. Nationwide, high-poverty areas received much more under the funding formula.

Not all states have allocated all their funding. In some areas, charter school and/or private schools funds flow through public school districts.

See the full list of schools compiled by the AP.

The following school districts in Vermont received the most funding, according to the AP’s preliminary analysis:

1. Burlington School District (3,866 pupils): $28.17 million
2. Southwest Vermont Su (pupil count unknown): $26.03 million
3. Windham Northeast Su (pupil count unknown): $20.74 million
4. Rutland City School District (2,058 pupils): $16.91 million
5. North Country Su (pupil count unknown): $16.19 million
6. Barre Unified Union School District #97 (2,367 pupils): $15.32 million
7. Kingdom East Unified Union School District (1,836 pupils): $14.85 million
8. Windham Southeast Su (pupil count unknown): $14.79 million
9. Maple Run Unified School District (2,738 pupils): $13.7 million
10. Winooski School District (838 pupils): $13.39 million

Three of the biggest sources of federal aid came in March and December 2020 and March 2021.

About $13.2 billion was allocated through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, which was part of the March 2020 CARES Act. It was followed by another $54.3 billion in December 2020.

Nearly $122 billion in aid was given to states in March 2021 from the federal government, with most of it going to local education agencies.
 
Some governors also used discretionary federal funds to bolster school resources.

Editor's note: This post was automatically generated using data from the Associated Press. Written by Rich Scinto, Patch Staff and AP. Please report any errors or other feedback to content@patch.com.