Prichard Committee helping inform how American Rescue Plan benefits students

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – The American Rescue Plan is supposed to help Kentucky students and help them bounce back from COVID-19’s impact on education. To help inform the public about this, The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence is leading the charge.

The organization has launched a webpage featuring an interactive map that shows how much funding each K-12 district will receive. Parents, students and other education stakeholders are also encouraged to give feedback to their local boards of education about what students need coming out of the pandemic. According to the committee, their staff is available to present information regarding funding to local groups and organizations statewide.

“Meaningful consultation with families and community stakeholders is a requirement of the American Rescue Plan,” said Brigitte Blom Ramsey, Prichard Committee President & CEO. “Many districts are already engaging the community and we hope to see a sustained commitment over the next three years to these local guiding coalitions as a way to ensure full education recovery and building a new foundation for education success.”

Based on the percentage of low-income students enrolled, K-12 school districts in the state will receive allocations through 2024. This approach should help students who were most negatively affected by COVID-19.

“With $2.1 billion now earmarked for Kentucky education recovery, we have an unprecedented opportunity to address the persistent achievement gaps in our system,” shared Blom Ramsey. “Fortunately, there is still time for families, community members, and other education stakeholders to come to the table and have their voices heard.”

July 31 is the deadline for local boards of education to turn in their budget plans and fiscal assurances to the state’s department of education. These plans are also required to be publicly available. Another requirement of the American Rescue Plan is for all proposed education intervention programs to have been extensively researched to demonstrate effectiveness. To learn more about some of the high-quality, evidence-based practices that have been approved for education recovery, visit EvidenceforEssa.org.

“We were pleased the federal law requires all interventions to equitably address the unique needs of underserved students: those living in poverty, experiencing homelessness, learning English, or living with a disability,” stated Blom Ramsey. “We urge local decision-makers to actively seek out parents, caregivers, and students in these too-often underserved populations to hear their COVID experiences as part of designing holistic plans for an equitable recovery.”

For more information about the American Rescue Plan and Kentucky’s schools, visit the Prichard Committee’s website.