School districts leave $112M on the table despite 18,000 students still missing from classroom

3 years ago 250

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – During a House committee gathering Wednesday, Florida lawmakers continued looking for answers to wherefore students went missing from the schoolhouse strategy aft the pandemic hit.

They’re displeased with the advancement made truthful far, and they accidental much than $100 cardinal meant to assistance find the kids has been near connected the table.

Last autumn determination were 88,000 students missing from the classroom. The fig was down to conscionable shy of 19,000 students arsenic of September first.

Of the missing students, 2,432 were identified arsenic truant, portion the remaining 16,463 person not yet been tracked down.

“We went from 70,000 down to 16,000 oregon 19,000, which is simply a beauteous bully number,” said Rep. Matt Willhite.

But Rep. Randy Fine argued with the magnitude of wealth thrown astatine the occupation the fig should beryllium overmuch lower.

“Every pupil who is not going to schoolhouse is simply a beingness destroyed,” said Fine.

Of the $112 cardinal allocated to find and assistance missing students, lone 2 districts requested a combined full of $4,000.

“I deliberation that is simply a disconcerting conception that each of america should person questions about,” said Fine.

Rep. Susan Valdes argued districts whitethorn person been hesitant to walk the one-time dollars connected reoccurring costs.

“Being capable to prosecute much of these professionals to bash this work, I tin spot wherefore schoolhouse districts possibly did not spell that route,” said Valdes.

It’s not conscionable the wealth allocated to find missing kids that person been near connected the table. There is besides $1.2 cardinal successful disposable national exigency funds that has yet to beryllium spent by schoolhouse districts.

“On mean schoolhouse districts person lone spent 48 percent of the wealth they person entree to today,” said Fine.

But Rep. Robin Bartleman suggested bureaucracy astatine the Department of Education could beryllium bottlenecking the travel of funds.

“Ask your idiosyncratic schoolhouse districts however galore times they spell backmost with the DOE until their program is accepted,” said Bartleman.

Both Democrats and Republicans connected the committee agree, much needs to beryllium done to get to the bottommost of wherefore the wealth isn’t being spent.

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