Education advocates call for more public school funding because of impact from pandemic

The pandemic is expected to lead to major budget shortfalls at school districts across the country and there is a push in Washington by some to get Congress to give more federal dollars to help schools.

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A lot of the revenue for states comes from sales and income taxes and with so many people laid off and businesses closed during the pandemic, there has been less money coming in for public schools.

Students around the country took part in virtual learning but lawmakers and educators point out that not every child had equal access to technology, leading to lost learning time.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has deepened the disparities that already existed,” said Rebecca Pringle, Vice President of the National Education Association (NEA).

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"Vulnerable students are less likely to attend the schools that have the resources to rapidly establish high-quality distance learning programs,” Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Virginia) said. “They're also less likely to have the basic technology."

Education advocates are calling for more funding to cover the cost of changes needed to allow for social distancing in classrooms and to keep teachers and other faculty on the job.

"Federal aid provided so far while helpful, is much too small to allow states to avoid laying off teachers and other workers and taking other steps,” said Dr. Michael Leachman from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

“Districts must spend more, not less," Pringle said.

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But Republicans cautioned lawmakers need to first evaluate the billions of dollars in the CARES Act meant for funding public education before allocating more taxpayer money.

The CARES Act included more than $13 billion for K-12 schools.

"Demanding additional funds at this time is premature and illogical,” Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-North Carolina) said.

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