Columbia Public Schools bracing for economic impacts of COVID-19
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
School districts across the nation face potential losses in state K-12 revenue because of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the economy.
Gov. Parson’s budget restrictions have not yet affected elementary and secondary education in Missouri. But while the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak’s blow to the economy hasn’t hit Columbia Public Schools, the district said it is looking into the possibility.
“We have a finance committee meeting coming up and we will be talking about what impact everything will have on the school district economically,” CPS spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark said. “We are in budget planning season for next school year, so we need to be very cognizant of where we are.”
Baumstark said there are a lot of factors that go into the district's budget each year and coronavirus has added an extra layer of complexity.
“When you have a loss of sales tax revenue that impacts the school district as well, so there are a lot of factors in play at this point in time and we will certainly have a very robust conversation about that,” she said.
More than 50 percent of CPS’ revenue comes from local tax revenue. In Missouri, that revenue includes a 1 percent sales tax that is collected on all retail sales across the state and is poured back into school districts by the Missouri Department of Revenue based on pupil count.
Baumstark said the district's chief financial officer is looking into available relief programs for schools ahead of the finance committee meeting which is set for 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
One relief option may include funding from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES, Act.
President Donald Trump signed the act last month and it allocates $13.5 billion in funding for K-12 education. Those funds will be distributed to states based on key accountability statutes under the Every Student Succeeds Act.
According to initial estimates from the Congressional Research Service, Missouri could get nearly $209,000 in K-12 aid from the CARES Act to use for long-term closures, sanitization of schools, educational technology, mental health supports and more.
The act also gives each state a share of the $3 billion Governor’s Education Relief Fund. That fund gives governors the authority to provide emergency support grants to K-12 schools, colleges and universities and child care/early education providers at their discretion.
The Congressional Research Service estimates Missouri could get nearly $55,000 from that fund.
Public K-12 schools that have incurred certain costs related to the outbreak could also be eligible for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Public Assistance Program.
That program can provide funding to eligible entities at a 75 percent federal cost share to reimburse costs of things such as purchase and distribution of food, disinfection of public spaces and communications about general health and safety to the public.
