Federal funding that has been going to Oklahoma schools throughout the last few years is about to dry up. Multiple schools reacted to the pandemic relief funds running out at the end of the year. For some, this means cutting back. >> Download the KOCO 5 App“Education since the pandemic has done a 180, and we’re not going to go backwards. Educators are too strong-willed, too innovative to let that slide happen,” said AJ Graffeo, the spokesperson for Putnam City Schools. Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or Esser funds, were sent to help schools get through the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. At the end of the fiscal year, the money will no longer be available. “We’re in a really good spot to keep a lot of things. Not everything but a lot of things,” Graffeo said. Some changes will happen. Moore Public Schools’ nursing staff will be impacted after the pandemic money helped them hire a nurse at every school. Without that money, they will have to cut back, using nurses to work multiple locations. But Putnam City officials said losing the funds was a change they were expecting. “Every decision that has been made, we’ve had that in mind,” Graffeo said. With enrollment numbers of the rise, they said the money will come from somewhere else. At Oklahoma City Public Schools, they are still working on a plan for the millions of dollars they received and how it might fit into their budget. Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.A spokesperson for the district said they “anticipate having a full impact report on ESSERA money that will be available late summer or early fall.” While Putnam City said they don’t have all the answers yet, their goal is to keep things running the same. “We’re going to be like, ‘This goes there. This goes there.’ But onstage at the schools, they might never even see a difference,” Graffeo said. KOCO 5 reached out to Oklahoma’s congressional delegation to see if the federal government has a plan to ease the burden on schools but did not hear back. Top Headlines TIMELINE: Severe storms return to Oklahoma Monday with tornado, hail threat 1 dead in Edmond house fire Friday’s March Madness Sweet 16 recap OCPD: Man calls 911 after shooting wife in head in parking lot Gov. Stitt vetoes bill allowing nurse practitioners to prescribe drugs
Federal funding that has been going to Oklahoma schools throughout the last few years is about to dry up.
Multiple schools reacted to the pandemic relief funds running out at the end of the year. For some, this means cutting back.
“Education since the pandemic has done a 180, and we’re not going to go backwards. Educators are too strong-willed, too innovative to let that slide happen,” said AJ Graffeo, the spokesperson for Putnam City Schools.
Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or Esser funds, were sent to help schools get through the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. At the end of the fiscal year, the money will no longer be available.
“We’re in a really good spot to keep a lot of things. Not everything but a lot of things,” Graffeo said.
Some changes will happen. Moore Public Schools’ nursing staff will be impacted after the pandemic money helped them hire a nurse at every school.
Without that money, they will have to cut back, using nurses to work multiple locations.
But Putnam City officials said losing the funds was a change they were expecting.
“Every decision that has been made, we’ve had that in mind,” Graffeo said.
With enrollment numbers of the rise, they said the money will come from somewhere else.
At Oklahoma City Public Schools, they are still working on a plan for the millions of dollars they received and how it might fit into their budget.
Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.
A spokesperson for the district said they “anticipate having a full impact report on ESSERA money that will be available late summer or early fall.”
While Putnam City said they don’t have all the answers yet, their goal is to keep things running the same.
“We’re going to be like, ‘This goes there. This goes there.’ But onstage at the schools, they might never even see a difference,” Graffeo said.
KOCO 5 reached out to Oklahoma’s congressional delegation to see if the federal government has a plan to ease the burden on schools but did not hear back.
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