Alsip-Crestwood Schools Get Coronavirus Relief Funding

ALSIP-CRESTWOOD, IL — Public schools in Alsip and Crestwood are in line to receive a cut of $2.2 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funds that the U.S. Department of Education has allocated to the state's public elementary and high school districts.

The second round of COVID-19 relief funding for schools through the Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief Fund — $2,250,804,891 — is four times more than the amount the state received last year under the first round of ESSER. The funds are being distributed by the Illinois State Board of Education.

Funds will be distributed as "urgent needs" for "mitigating learning loss through supplemental learning opportunities, closing the digital divide and addressing the mental health needs of our students," ISBE Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen Ayala said in a letter to district superintendents.

The state board of education is also encouraging districts to consider extending the school year to make up for months of remote learning, by adding before and after-school programs, and summer learning opportunities. Alsip-Crestwood school districts receiving funding, including estimated amounts:

CHSD 218 - $5 million
Atwood Heights Dist. 125 - $523,300
Alsip-Hazelgreen-Oak Lawn Dist. 126 - $1.2 million
Cook County School Dist. 130 - $3.9 million

CHSD 218 Supt. Ty Harting said a meeting was scheduled to discuss ways in which to spend the funding.

“We are both appreciative and excited to have these additional funds to help move forward with educating our students during this pandemic,” Harting said. “This has been an extremely challenging year, and we will take all the help we can get to help our kids be successful in our classrooms.”

Other school districts can be found online as well. Not all Illinois school districts received the funding. The allocation for districts that did not receive funding will eventually get it from a "set-aside," at approximately $63 per student, according to a letter from the ISBE.