WilCo Sets Aside $12M In CARES Act Funds For Schools

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — The Williamson County Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved allocating $12 million from federal CARES Act funds to reimburse schools and school districts located in Williamson County for COVID-19 related expenses.

Funding comes via the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act program, a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus bill passed by the 116th U.S. Congress and signed into law in March in response to the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic across the U.S.

The allocation is part of the fourth phase of the so-called "WilCo Forward" program, officals described in an advisory. The funding for this Phase IV program was re-allocated from the $20 million previous allocated to cities in Phase II, officials added. As a result of good planning and good stewardship, county officials said, the needs of the cities were far less than originally expected.

The plan includes funding for Independent School Districts centrally located in Williamson County, charter schools with campuses located in the county and private schools with at least 100 students, four grade levels, and students attended in-person at least three days per week pre-COVID located in Williamson County. The schools would be able to apply for grant funds to cover up to $100 per student in expenses related to COVID-19, officials explained.

For school districts whose total allocation is under $100,000, they will be allotted the lesser of $200 per student or $100,000. The deadline to apply for funding is Nov. 6.

Scott Heselmeyer, the county treasurer and chair of the WilCo Forward Task Force, described the tailored way Williamson County has distributed the funding: "From the beginning, Williamson County has led from the front on allocating our CARES Act funding in ways that truly help the community in this pandemic. We prioritized $35 million to help our small businesses, we have fully-funded the needs of our cities, and now we are stepping forward to assist with the tremendous burden that COVID-related requirements have created for schools in Williamson County."

After Tuesday's action by commissioners, the county still has some $17 million of CARES Act funding in reserve, unallocated, in anticipation of future needs, officials said.