Supt. Hoffman announces federal relief and recovery funding allocations for AZ public schools

Today, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman announced the amounts each school district and charter organization will be eligible to receive under the latest round of federal relief and recovery funding for Arizona public schools.

Under formula funding set by Congress through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA), Title I schools will receive over $1 billion to support COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts.  

Superintendent Hoffman also announced the use of discretionary dollars available to the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) under CRRSA to guarantee a baseline funding amount for every public school district and charter organization in the state. ADE used poverty data to ensure a per-pupil award amount and will guarantee $150,000 in relief funding for every public school district and non-profit charter organization in Arizona, with $175,000 guaranteed for rural school districts and charter organizations, and $200,000 guaranteed for the most remote school districts and charter organizations. 

“It’s critical that every school has the necessary resources to support their students, staff and families throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Typically, our small, rural, and remote schools are too often left behind when resources are allocated. That’s why I prioritized ensuring that every public school – regardless of size or location – had access to federal relief funding,” said Superintendent Hoffman. “While this significant infusion of federal recovery dollars is good news for Arizona’s schools, it is not a substitute for sustainable funding from the state as they move through and beyond the crisis of this pandemic.”

“ARSA fully supports Superintendent Hoffman’s plan to direct additional funding to rural and remote schools in Arizona as they will be critical to meeting the needs of Arizona’s rural schools and students,” said Wes Brownfield, Executive Director of Arizona Rural Schools Association. “Additional funding for rural and remote schools is vital to initiatives like the Final Mile Project which works to take the fiber broadband so many of our schools receive and extends that capacity to the student’s home. We want to thank Superintendent Hoffman for her continued support of Arizona’s rural schools and her commitment to bridging the digital divide for our rural students.” 

Allocation amounts for each public school district and non-profit charter organization can be found here: ESSER II Allocations for LEAs  

Next week, the Arizona Department of Education will host a webinar for school leaders to share additional information and take questions regarding the application process as well as explain allowable uses of federal relief funds.