Bulloch County Schools will receive $10,543,418 in the second round of federal stimulus funds approved by Congress as part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CARES 2). Public schools in Georgia will receive a total of $1.7 billion. The State Board of Education approved on January 14, for the Georgia Department of Education to begin the allocation of funds to districts.
School districts may use the stimulus funds across multiple years, and like with the first round of stimulus funds, they are not made in a lumpsum payment. The district will instead plan for and show the government how the funds will be used, initiate those investments, and then funds are reimbursed to the district. Bulloch County Schools has just begun formulating its budget plans for Fiscal Year 2022 which begins July 1, but according to Superintendent Charles Wilson, the school district will focus on meeting student needs, particularly any gaps in learning, and maintaining its workforce, which is Bulloch County’s second largest.
Due to a 10 percent cut in the school district’s state funding for 20-21, which could remain in effect going forward, and the other unforeseen economic impacts of COVID-19, Bulloch County Schools initiated a hiring freeze in April 2020, during a time that is traditionally the district’s main hiring season (February – July) for new teachers and other positions. This resulted in approximately 40 jobs, predominately for classroom teachers, not being filled for the 2020-2021 school year. These are positions made vacant through the district’s normal attrition rate caused by retirements, job reassignments, and relocations.
According to information provided to school districts, the stimulus funds are flexible and designed to help school districts offset expenditures related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. They can be used to support at-risk student populations, distance/remote learning, school meals, mental and physical health, supplemental learning and addressing learning loss, facilities and equipment, continuity of core staff and services, and more.
The funds are allocated based on Bulloch County Schools’ proportionate share of Title I funding – for example, if a school district received 2% of Georgia’s overall share of Title I funding in Fiscal Year 2021, they will receive 2% of the CARES 2 allocation. This funding formula is required by federal law and the Georgia Department of Education does not have the authority to use a different funding method.
Bulloch County Schools received $2.6 million last year through the first CARES Act. Unlike the initial CARES Act funding, this second round of funding does not require public school districts to make funds available to private schools within their counties. Congress has provided a separate allocation for private schools.
