Texas school systems can apply for $420 million in COVID-19 reimbursement funds

Texas school systems can apply for $420 million in reimbursement funds in support of remote learning due to COVID-19.

The Prior Purchase Reimbursement Program  will help Texas public schools that purchased eLearning devices and Wi-Fi hotspots for students learning remotely, said a press release from the Office of the Texas Governor Greg Abbott. School systems from throughout the state can apply for the funds 

The Texas Education Agency and Texas Division of Emergency Management administer the program that uses federal CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act funds, the press release said.

The CARES Act provides for an over $2 trillion economic relief package that financially helps American workers, small businesses and families, said the website of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

The $420 million reimbursement program for Texas public schools “will reimburse districts for costs incurred since the 2019-20 school year if the district locally purchased eLearning devices and/or WiFi hotspots,” the press release said.

“This reimbursement program builds on the progress made by Operation Connectivity, announced by Governor Abbott in May as an initiative to close the digital divide in Texas,” the press release said.

TDEM reimbursed school systems that purchased technology because of the coronavirus at the end of the 2019-2020 school year, the press release said.

“TEA directly purchased roughly 1 million eLearning devices and WiFi hotspots in the summer, distributing that technology directly to Texas schools,” the press release said.

“Since the start of Operation Connectivity, schools in Texas have acquired more than 2 million eLearning devices (such as laptops, tablets, Chromebooks) and more than 800,000 WiFi hotspots — totaling 2.8 million devices and hotspots combined and counting.”

TEA oversees public education from prekindergarten through high school and adult basic education programs, according to its Facebook page.

TEA doesn’t have “general authority” to close schools in relation to the coronavirus, said its website.