Broward Schools Ask State To Release Federal Stimulus Funds Designated For School Districts

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Broward County School District is calling on the state to act and provide the COVID-19 funding made available by the federal government.

"We're all struggling with the loss of loved ones, the loss of coworkers, the loss of friends and family", said Broward School Board Chair Dr. Rosalind Osgood, who added the impacts of COVID-19 continues to be felt throughout their district.

In a press conference Friday, Interim Superintendent Vickie Cartwright echoed the concerns saying the most recent impact is the death of another teacher.

"At this point in time, we have lost a total of four individuals, unfortunately, we did lose someone last night," said Cartwright.

The district says it implemented a mask mandate in an attempt to protect other teachers, staff, and students from contracting the virus. But as they move forward with requiring masks, officials say the state is not releasing about $630 million in funding from the CARES Act signed by the Trump administration.

"About 125 million approximately at your moms for charter schools within the Broward County School Board district our allocation specifically for the American rescue plan $509.9 million these are funds that have not been available to any district within the state of Florida," said Cartwright. Who adds that money would be used to purchase smaller vehicles to help with the bus driver shortage. As well as contact tracing assistance to free up school administrators and nurses who are doing that job instead of performing their normal duties.

She also say that money would help with touring resources for students who fell behind because COVID and hiring additional staff.

The state is also not releasing additional $256 million funds from the American Recovery Plan Act, signed by President Biden. Officials say some of those funds would go to help pay for school board member salary as the Department of Education has vowed to withhold pay for board members for approving the mask mandate.

"All of these funds that are coming in have to go to the state of Florida. So it flows through the Department of Education and then it's released out to us, at this point in time we are asking the dependent Education, our state, to create a process for us to be able to apply for these funds," said Cartwright. "We don't even have a process to ask to ask for these funds", she went on.

On Friday afternoon, Miami-Dade schools said they had not received any moneys from the state.