Join Chalkbeat Detroit’s free e-newsletter to maintain up with the town’s public faculty system and Michigan schooling coverage.
The Detroit faculty district is getting a $70 million federal reimbursement for a few of the prices related to testing college students and workers for COVID as a part of its response to the pandemic.
The Federal Emergency Administration Company introduced the reimbursement this week, saying in a information launch that the Detroit Public Faculties Neighborhood District is being reimbursed for its efforts “to maintain youngsters secure and proceed the essential companies that they supplied to so many Detroit households in the course of the pandemic.”
The district contracted with LynxDX to supply COVID testing for college kids and workers in the course of the pandemic. Testing was a requirement to attend faculty in individual for a time as a result of surging COVID charges had been inflicting faculties to close down and college students to attend on-line.
Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti stated in an e-mail that COVID testing packages initiated by faculty districts had been eligible for reimbursement by FEMA. The district started the reimbursement course of in December 2022, Vitti stated.
The district initially deliberate to make use of federal COVID aid cash to cowl the prices of the testing. In his e-mail, Vitti stated, “The COVID testing program prices had been shifted to District common funds, in order that they’d be eligible for FEMA reimbursement.”
As soon as the cash is distributed to the district, officers must decide easy methods to use it.
“It’s one-time funding so we’ll proceed to make use of fiscal self-discipline and use it for one-time functions similar to persevering with facility upgrades or a solution to shield initiatives similar to contracted nursing or psychological well being assist for college kids if state grants in these areas are eradicated,” Vitti stated.
Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You’ll be able to attain her at [email protected].
