Students in one of Georgia’s largest school districts will be spending an extra five days in school this year, thanks to federal pandemic aid, while teachers in a fast-growing charter school have been getting additional professional development and teaching materials.
Those are just two examples of how Georgia school leaders plan to spend more than $5.9 billion in aid that’s meant to help schools through the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools have already used the money to buy protective equipment and computers for students to take home. Some are now making heating and air conditioning upgrades and spending to help students make up ground academically.
“It has been just a battle for schools,” said Emily Castillo Leon, founder of the Ethos Classical School charter in Atlanta. “We have been fighting nonstop, but having the additional financial aid makes that one worry that is not on our list.”
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