Federal Coronavirus Aid For Schools: See How Much ME Schools Got

Schools

Maine schools have received at least $596.4 million in federal aid since the pandemic began.

Local Data , Patch Staff

MAINE — The federal government has poured some $190 billion into the nation's schools since March 2020 to help offset the costs of coping with the coronavirus pandemic — more than four times what the U.S. Education Department spends on K-12 schools in a typical year.

About $596.4 million of that total went to Maine schools, according to an analysis by the Associated Press.

Relying on data published or provided by states and the federal government, the AP also tallied how much money was granted to nearly every school district in the state and country.

The AP tracked more than $156 billion out of the $190 billion sent to states to distribute among schools since last year, including general pandemic relief that some states shared with their schools. Some districts will receive sums amounting to 50 percent or more of the cost to run their schools for a year.

The aid averages nearly $2,800 per student nationwide, but it varies widely by district and state, according to the AP’s analysis.

The AP did not provide state-by-state per-pupil figures, except to note that districts in Louisiana and the District of Columbia averaged more than $2,100 per student, while those in Utah received a little more than $400 each. Nationwide, high-poverty areas received much more under the funding formula.

Not all states have allocated all their funding. In some areas, charter school and/or private schools funds flow through public school districts.

See the full list of schools compiled by the AP.

The following school districts in Maine received the most funding, according to the AP's preliminary analysis:

1. Lewiston Public Schools (5,449 pupils): $43.54 million
2. Portland Public Schools (6,779 pupils): $27.78 million
3. Bangor Public Schools (3,685 pupils): $20.10 million
4. Rsu 54/Msad 54 (2,375 pupils): $16.12 million
5. Waterville Public Schools (1,705 pupils): $14.45 million
6. Sanford Public Schools (3,231 pupils): $13.27 million
7. Rsu 10 (1,801 pupils): $13.17 million
8. Westbrook Public Schools (2,444 pupils): $11.86 million
9. Auburn Public Schools (3,532 pupils): $11.6 million
10. Rsu 17/Msad 17 (3,428 pupils): $11.09 million

Three of the biggest sources of federal aid came in March and December 2020 and March 2021.

About $13.2 billion was allocated through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, which was part of the March 2020 CARES Act. It was followed by another $54.3 billion in December 2020.

Nearly $122 billion in aid was given to states in March 2021 from the federal government, with most of it going to local education agencies.

Editor’s note: This post was automatically generated using data from the Associated Press. Written by Rich Scinto, Patch Staff and AP. Please report any errors or other feedback to [email protected] .