PHOENIX - In a series of tweets made Wednesday afternoon, Governor Doug Ducey announced a plan that will give hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to schools, as schools prepare to start a new school year while dealing with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the tweets, Arizona has received $850 million in education funding from the CARES Act, of which $270 million will be given to schools as one-time new funding to give them tools that are needed to reopen safely.
According to a statement posted to the Governor's Office website, $200 million of the $270 million mentioned above will be used to increase funding for remote learning, and protect schools against budget shortfalls due to declining enrollment. Additional funding was given to expand broadband in rural communities, bring in extra support for high-need schools, and other measures.
"In total, $850 million in one-time new funding is going to education in Arizona as a result of the CARES Act passed in March," read a portion of the statement.
In Arizona, officials announced in March that schools were closed through the end of the 2019-2020 school year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.