Lucas Welcomes $160M in School Relief

Lucas Welcomes $160 Million in Relief for Oklahoma’s K-12 Educational Institutions

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Frank Lucas (OK-03) released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Education announced last week that it would distribute more than $160 million to the state of Oklahoma’s K-2 educational institutions from the Education Stabilization Fund as authorized by the CARES Act:

 “Oklahoma educators have faced an unprecedented challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic. Education leaders across the state have been asked to continue the essential task of instructing their students from a distance. I am immensely proud of our Oklahoma school districts who have risen to the occasion by thinking outside of the box and reimagining what school services look like during the time of Coronavirus. The Education Stabilization Fund (ESF) authorized by the CARES Act will deliver critical financial assistance to local school districts across Oklahoma. This law was written with individual school districts in mind by granting much-needed flexibility for the use of existing federal funds and allowing local educational leaders to decided how ESF money is spent. As this school year draws to a close it is crucial that we stop to recognize the work done every day by our school administrators, educators, and staff.”

 Education leaders will have the flexibility to use funds from the Elementary and Secondary School Education Relief Fund (ESSER Fund) for immediate needs, such as tools and resources for distance education, ensuring student health and safety, and developing and implementing plans for the next school year.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Education distributed more than $198 million in funding to the state of Oklahoma’s educational institutions from the Education Stabilization Fund as authorized by the CARES Act.

Of the more than $198 million, $159 million was allocated to the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), providing assistance to higher education institutions and their students whose lives and educations have been disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak.

Also of the more than $198 million, $39 million in emergency education block grant funding was provided from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (FEERF), providing Governor Stitt with funds to meet the needs of students, primary schools, secondary schools, and post-secondary institutions across the state.

U.S. Department of Education funding from the Education Stabilization Fund to the state of Oklahoma now totals more than $359 million.