The U.S. Department of Education this week designated Alaska as “a high-risk grantee” because it said the state failed to fairly distribute COVID-19 relief to school districts.
The 2021 American Rescue Plan Act gave over $125 billion to schools across the nation to help cover pandemic-related costs. A March 27 letter from the U.S. Department of Education says that as a condition of receiving $359 million in federal COVID funding, Alaska is required to give $30 million to the highest-need schools in four districts.
The Alaska Department of Education said it “disputes that claim in the strongest possible” terms. According to a March 22 letter, the state says it has already complied with federal requirements and that it doesn’t believe it needs to give out additional funding to districts.
Read more from the Anchorage Daily News.
