A group of House Republicans asked the United States Government Accountability Office (USGAO) to conduct an audit of the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economy Security (CARES) Act’s funding for education. Within the CARES Act, Congress legislated $13.3 billion to the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund in order to assist school systems with reopening. Likewise, the Governors Emergency Education Relief (GEER) fund gives individual governors $3 billion in “block grants” to distribute to meet the needs of students.
As of September 30, the GOP lawmakers point out, individual states have spent just 12 percent of the $13.3 billion ESSER fund and governors have spent 18 percent of the $3 Billion in aid GEER funds.
“Congress and the American people want assurances that funds are being used to address the urgent need to reopen schools and support remote learning while schools are closed...With the possibility of additional education relief funding, more information is necessary for Congress to determine whether funds allocated to school systems are meeting the needs of students and parents,” the Republican lawmakers wrote to the GAO, requesting “nonpartisan oversight of the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
On Friday, I joined a letter requesting the @USGAO audit the CARES Act funds allocated to support elementary and secondary education during the pandemic.
— Congressman Fred Keller (@RepFredKeller) December 21, 2020
We must be sure that federal dollars are reaching each student and working towards reopening schools.?? pic.twitter.com/5FndOnLLx9
Both chambers of Congress are set to pass additional, bipartisan funding to deliver relief to the American people on Monday.