Education Sec DeVos Authorizes New CARES Act Funding Flexibilites to Support Tech Infrastructure and Distance Learning

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced a new streamlined process for providing states funding flexibilities to best meet the needs of students and educators during the COVID-19 national emergency. The new flexibilities, authorized under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, allow schools to repurpose existing K-12 education funds for technology infrastructure and teacher training on distance learning, among other flexibilities to move resources to areas of highest need during the national emergency. The CARES Act, signed into law by President DonaldTrump on March 27, now allows states and school districts to devote more of their federal resources to technology infrastructure to support distance learning for students and for professional development for teachers who are teaching remotely, many for the first time. By providing a streamlined process to obtain funding flexibilities, states will be able to quickly make decisions to meet the needs of their students.

One of the flexibilities includes removing the 15% cap on spending Title IV Part A funds on technology infrastructure. The Title IV Part A funds can be used for mobile hotspots and data plans.