- In a survey of 21 large school districts, nearly all said they were behind on plans for spending federal cash.
- Finding new staff has been challenging. That hurts plans to launch more tutoring or social workers.
- Construction delays have also jeopardized improvements to buildings. Schools hope to get more time to do the projects.
It seems like a balanced equation: Schools need a lot of help, but they also have record sums of federal money to spend.
If only it were that simple.
Across the country, schools are struggling to spend their COVID-19 relief money as quickly as planned. Their efforts are running up against a national labor shortage and supply chain issues, which are making it difficult to do things like hire tutors or renovate dilapidated buildings.
