WRAL Investigates: What will schools do once the COVID relief money runs out?
North Carolina K-12 schools received more than $6 billion in COVID relief funding since the start of the pandemic.
The money came in three phases, the last of which expires in September 2024.
School systems must spend the money or risk losing it. They also face a new challenge of how to fund successful pandemic programs that aren’t in their annual budgets.
Three years ago, hundreds of people in masks waited in line to get a Chromebook from Wake County Schools that was paid for with COVID money.
Wake Schools Chief business officer David Neter said the money ensured every student had a device for mandatory remote learning.
At the time, we had a 3-to-1 student to technology device ratio and realized rapidly we needed to have a 1-1 student to device ratio," Neter said a recent Wake County School Board Finance Committee meeting.
Once a necessity for virtual learning, the devices are now woven into teaching plans after the pandemic.
School board member Monika Johnson-Hostler says those laptops can’t be a one-time thing.
"I think it will behoove us as our budget strings get tighter to think about where we’re putting our money and what’s the best use, acknowledging that technology and academics are going to be hand in in hand,"Johnson-Hostler said.
COVID relief money not only covered the cost of the laptop, but the technical support for the new devices. That money is going away once the county uses $20 million in remaining COVID funds that’s not already earmarked for other projects.
"This use of one-time funds is a bit of a band-aid. We know we have to come up with a long-term solution and we’re working on that," Neter told board members.
Wake County received $443 million over the three phases of COVID relief. Cumberland County got $239 million and Durham County received $191 million.
Initially, the bulk went to cleaning and personal protection supplies, like masks. Wake County still has supplies in stock and can distribute them if a school needs them as new COVID variants arise.
However, Neter says Wake County used more than $34 million on projects it wants to continue.
"Some of the funds have been applied against what we intend to be recurring needs and obviously these are one time funds that will not be available after this year," he said.
That $34 million in future needs includes $870,000 on instruction support technicians, $13.6 million each on behavioral support and maintenance operations, as well as $3.5 million on school-based permanent substitute teachers.
The question for the school system and board members is where will that money come from to help the post-COVID funding transition? Taxpayers may be asked to foot at lease part of that bill, Neter told the board.
"We will likely have a request for additional local funding to apply against the remaining amount," Neter said.
