In a hastily scheduled webinar this week, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond apologized profusely to hundreds of leaders of private schools serving low-income families for delays in distributing tens of millions of dollars in federal Covid aid.
“We’re incredibly grateful for leadership that sought solutions that reflected listening to the concerns of nonpublic schools,” said Kathleen Domingo, executive director of the California Catholic Conference, the public policy voice of the Catholic Church of California. “All on call breathed a sigh of relief.”
In a hastily scheduled webinar this week, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond apologized profusely to hundreds of leaders of private schools serving low-income families for delays in distributing tens of millions of dollars in federal Covid aid.
Promising to quickly remove the bottlenecks, Thurmond said Tuesday, “We regret any heartburn or difficulties that you have experienced.” He asked for “some grace” as the department fixed the problems it created.
The California Department of Education mismanaged dispatching $187 million for 547 private schools that applied and were approved for the first round of Emergency Assistance for Non-Public Schools. Congress approved that funding last December and included a second round of $181 million for California private schools from the American Rescue Plan. California hasn’t received that money yet.