Pierce Council Approves $5.5 Million In CARES Funding For Schools

PUYALLUP, WA — The Pierce County Council has approved the use of $5.5 million in CARES Act funding to help support local schools across the county.

According to the county, that money is available to all K-12 Pierce County public school districts, but also state-approved private and charter schools, and tribal schools.

The money comes at a critical time for schools. As the Tacoma News Tribune reports, the Puyallup School district recently announced another series of furloughs and layoffs for staff members who cannot work remotely. And their district is not the only one that is suffering.

“We know Pierce County schools and the families they serve face countless hurdles as they prepare for the 2020-21 school year,” said Council Chair Doug Richardson in a statement.

The money will be allocated depending on how many students each school serves:

• $5,000 for schools with less than 75 students.
• $10,000 for schools with 75 to 149 students.
• $25,000 for schools with 150 to 360 students.

Schools have to enter into an agreement with the county in order to receive the money, and as part of the agreement must use the money only to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, and outline how exactly they will spend the funds.

Related: CARES Act Funds Will Help 60,000 WA Students With Remote Learning

It's likely that at least some funds will be spent helping facilitate remote learning. While the state of Washington is not forcing districts to remain closed, state leadership is strongly recommending that Pierce County and other counties with higher daily coronavirus case counts remain remote-only when classes resume in September. Most Pierce County districts have announced plans to begin lessons online next month, with the goal of transitioning into a hybrid model allowing some classroom time later in the school year.

“While we can’t authorize the reopening of schools, we can provide financial assistance to aid our schools, which in turn will help Pierce County children and families,” Richardson said.