In Ed.

UPDATE: What Might Kentucky get for Child Care, K-12, and Higher Ed through CARES Act

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Estimates are starting to trickle out as to how education funding in the CARES Act will be distributed to states.  For child care, K-12 and higher education, Kentucky estimates include:

  • Child Care – Through the $3.5 billion appropriated through the Child Care Development Block Grant, the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) estimates Kentucky will receive $65 million. According to CLASP funds can be used for:
    • Continued payments and assistance to child care providers in the case of decreased enrollment or closures related to coronavirus, and to assure they are able to remain open or reopen as appropriate.
    • Child care assistance, without regard to income, to health care sector employees, emergency responders, sanitation workers, and other workers deemed essential during the response to the coronavirus
    • Funding to child care providers who were not participating in subsidy prior to the public health emergency for the purposes of cleaning and sanitation and other activities necessary to maintain or resume the operation of programs
  • K-12 – The Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief Fund totaled $13.5 billion. Of that total, the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) estimates Kentucky will receive $194.6 million.  Of note, state’s must assurance support for education in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 will be maintained at least at the average level of the state’s support in the three fiscal years prior to the enactment of the legislation. The U.S. Secretary of Education may waive this requirement to relieve the fiscal burden for states that have experienced a precipitous decline in financial resources.
  • Higher Education – Funds totaling $14.25 billion are appropriated to postsecondary education in the stimulus package. 90% (~$12.5 billion) will go direct to institutions based primarily on their full-time equivalent enrollment of Pell and non-Pell eligible students (75% based on Pell FTE; 25% on non-Pell FTE). The American Council on Education (ACE) estimates Kentucky will receive $150.7 million and provides a full institutional breakdown.

In sum – between the primary stimulus aid for child care, K-12, and higher education – Kentucky may receive upwards of $410 million to backstop critical educational supports across the pipeline.

Author

Perry joined the staff in August 2015. Previously, he served as senior analyst and staff administrator on the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission’s Budget Review Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education, where he provided oversight for more than $1 billion in appropriations. He has held research positions at the Council on Developmental Disabilities at University of Kentucky, Center for Science in the Public Interest and Alaska Seafood International. He is a graduate of Centre College and has an MA in Public Policy from University of Kentucky Martin School.

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