By Ryan Leshko
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
County Executive Calvin Ball announced that an estimated $6 million from federal CARES Act funding will be allocated to Howard County schools and the CARES Act dashboard.
The CARES Act funding for the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) will be used for technology, student meals, increased unemployment costs, public health and safety supplies, according to a statement released by the county executive’s office.
Ball explained that the CARES Act dashboard funding “will track the actual and projected spending of federal funding as the Dec. 30 federal deadline approaches.”
“Howard County will provide nearly $6 million to support our schools as they offset COVID-19 related expenditures for our educators and students,” Ball said in a statement. “We all want the best teaching and learning environment possible and want our students to return safely to school as soon as possible. We are pleased that this investment will support our school system in enhancing their instructional model, keeping educators and students safe, and providing some of the resources students need to be successful.”
Howard County Public Schools have incurred approximately $22.6 million in costs related to COVID-19, county officials said.
The county executive said the $5.9 million in federal funding will support Howard County Public Schools in four different areas: $2.8 million in technology support for students and teachers, $2.5 million in public health and safety items for students, staff, and facilities, $400,000 for student meals, and $200,000 to cover unemployment costs.
School Superintendent Michael J. Martirano said the federal funding – as well as cost savings from what he described as “managed hiring and spending” last year – has allowed the school system to get closer to its goal of having one technology device for each student. .
Martirano also said the federal dollars and cost savings will be used to purchase personal protective equipment, or PPE, as well as to purchase subscriptions and resources to support “virtual instruction and small group learning.”
Mavis Ellis, the chair of the school board, said that while he appreciated the cost savings, those reductions alone would not be enough to cover all the costs associated with the pandemic.
“I applaud the hard work of our staff as they have identified some areas to reduce costs as a result of the pandemic, but the cuts are not nearly enough to overcome the significant costs associated with responding to needs in a system as large as ours,” Ellis said.
Mirtirano reiterated Ellis’s concerns and said the CARES Act money will help greatly.
“Without these funds, we would be facing an even greater challenge to meet the needs of our students and staff within our limited resources,” Mirtirano said. “These funds will enable us to manage the fiscal impacts of the pandemic to provide the support and additional resources needed.”
In addition to the funding for the HCPSS, Howard County is introducing the CARES Act dashboard. Ball said that “it’s imperative that the federal government act to provide an additional round of stimulus funding to local governments as we endure another spike in cases.”
“We are confident that we will meet our CARES Act deadline by the end of the year, but we are also joining our fellow county executives and mayors in urging for a federal extension to allocate funds as we combat this winter surge,” Ball added. “While we await federal action, we are actively using the funding we have to support our community and believe this dashboard should provide public confidence in our plan to spend the funds we have received to date.”
Howard County has been using its CARES Act funding for different community needs. Part of this funding includes $5.7 million in business assistance grants, which provides assistance to 249 child-care providers, 202 retail businesses, 146 restaurants, 45 farms, 21 hotels, and three performing art venues.
In addition, Howard County has used CARES Act funding to support the continuity of government. This includes close to $3 million in supply purchases to facilitate telework and ensure the safety of county employees.
“Many Howard County businesses have struggled financially this year while dealing with increased costs to operate safely, such as having proper PPE supplies and pandemic appropriate infrastructure of their facilities, such as online or touch free point-of-sale systems,” Ball said. “These grants are much needed to assist in both the lack of revenue and increased operating costs for businesses.”
While the grants have been beneficial, Ball said that more assistance from Congress is needed.
“More funding is needed across the board including funds for individuals struggling who lost jobs as well as our vulnerable families,” Ball said. “We’ve allocated funding for food insecurity, rental assistance, and legal support for tenants facing eviction, but the need is still great. I, along with local officials across this nation, are advocating for Congress to urgently pass another round of stimulus funding that will help these families, businesses, and workers get to the other side of this pandemic.”