K-12 Education Finance Update

Governor Wolf announced that $2.2 billion dollars in federal stimulus funds will be provided to K-12 public schools and charter schools to aid in supporting the impacts of COVID-19. The funding comes from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund within the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, which was included in the bipartisan stimulus package passed in December. Funding will be distributed through the federal Title I, Part A proportional formula, which is more equitable and will serve districts with a greater needs, such as students who are low-income, have a disability, English Language Learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness and foster children. An overview of this package and the funding distribution is available on the Department of Education’s website.

This funding comes just as the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials released its 2021 School District Budget Report, which highlights the significant fiscal challenges districts have faced due to the pandemic and resulting economic downturn.

Significant Federal Provisions for Foster Youth Contained in Latest Budget/Stimulus Bill

The federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, which passed Congress in December, contains multiple child welfare provisions, including the Supporting Foster Youth and Families through the Pandemic Act, providing flexibility and assistance in response to COVID-19. Additionally, the act provides supplemental appropriations through the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program, Education and Training Voucher program, the MaryLee Allen Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program and the Court Improvement Program.

The measure prioritizes older youth by increasing investments for transition support and higher education, suspending certain requirements for foster care and prohibiting child welfare agencies from discharging youth solely due to age. Kinship navigator programs have also been prioritized by waiving evidence-based criteria for Title IV-E funding. Significant flexibility in funding is provided to assist kinship navigator programs with evidence-based systematic review to provide resources and supports to kin to assist with keeping children with family. See the fact sheet from the Children’s Defense Fund that provides an overview of these provisions.

Last-Minute Approvals of HHS Regulations Would Negatively Impact Medicaid and CHIP

As we noted in prior newsletters, PPC formally submitted comments opposing two proposed rules over the past few months issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). While proposed under the guise of increasing transparency and accountability, these two rules would instead wreak havoc on Medicaid and CHIP, critical programs that matter to the health and well-being of more than 1.4 million Pennsylvania children:

• The “Good Guidance Practices” regulation would allow HHS to rescind important sub-regulatory guidance that helps clarify policies for states administering programs like Medicaid and CHIP, instead creating a complex and burdensome process to reinstate or implement new guidance.
• The rule, “Securing Updated and Necessary Statutory Evaluations Timely (SUNSET),” would allow all Medicaid and CHIP regulations to automatically expire unless they are “assessed” and “reviewed” within certain timeframes. This rule is not only a gross overreach of the existing authority of HHS, but also would disrupt day-to-day program operations, creating burdensome costs at the federal and state levels.

If there is good news, it is that the Biden Administration can take steps to reverse the harm they would cause if fully implemented. Here are additional resources with more detailed information about the rules: Manatt Health on the SUNSET rule and Georgetown University Center for Children and Families on the Good Guidance rule.

Pennsylvania Announces Vendor for Statewide Resources and Referral Tool  

The Department of Human Services (DHS) recently announced its selection of Aunt Bertha as the vendor for delivering a new statewide resources and referral tool: Resource Information and Services Enterprise (RISE PA). RISE PA will be an interactive online platform that will serve as the care coordination system for various providers in health care and social services organizations and a provide a closed-loop referral system. Additionally, RISE PA is intended to serve as an access point for Pennsylvanians to find services they need.

There will be an initial regional launch of the tool in the first quarter of this year. The planning region will include the following counties: Adams, Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, and York.

After the tool is implemented statewide, every Pennsylvanian will be able to access it from their personal computers, tablets and mobile devices to get connected with services and resources in their area. They will also be able to self-refer themselves to participating organizations. Additionally, service providers will be able to better assess individual needs and stay connected with their overall well-being. More information will follow when details are provided on the initial launch.

Notable COVID-19 Research and Resources 

A new Child Trends resource discusses four research- and practice-informed strategies that early care and education (ECE) providers and teachers can use to engage families virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. For example, modular and interactive self-guided lessons can be overlaid with audio to allow ECE providers to describe concepts, techniques, or behaviors parents can try with their children at home.

Given the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on student emotional well-being, schools need to effectively support students’ socioemotional needs. However, new Child Trends analysis finds that less than 15 percent of state reopening plans include policy and practice requirements for school districts related to social and emotional well-being. Researches fear that school reopening plans that only target physical health could unintentionally draw attention and resources away from the social-emotional and mental health needs of students, particularly in districts where resources are limited.