Turnaround and COVID-19 Education Coalition Issues Statement to Congress on Education Funding

As a supporting member of the COVID-19 Education Coalition, Turnaround for Children, along with other members, issued a statement to Congress in response to the Delivering Immediate Relief to America’s Families, Schools and Small Businesses Act. 

The statement addressed concerns of the coalition on the low amount of funding allocated to education, how a large portion of this funding is specific to physical school re-openings, and the act’s failure to provide support for training educators in online learning. Many educational groups agree that more is needed to provide effective and equitable learning opportunities in a remote environment. The statement also noted that keeping funding tied to physical school re-openings would adversely impact marginalized communities including: students with disabilities, students of color, homeless students, and students in foster care. 

The coalition urged members of Congress to work towards an education relief package that:

• Provides an additional $200 billion in education stabilization funds to fully support schools, educators, students and families through the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Ensures additional funds are not tied to the physical reopening of school buildings.
• Provides dedicated funding to states and districts aimed at supporting the capacity of educators to lead effective and equitable online learning experiences. 

You can read the full statement here.