Berks school districts awarded coronavirus funding | Berks Regional News

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Several school districts in Berks County are receiving some help in their efforts to educate their students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Antietam, Conrad Weiser, Daniel Boone, Governor Mifflin, Muhlenberg, Reading, and Tulpehocken, along with the Berks County Intermediate Unit, are among 220 school districts and education agencies across the state that will share in $17 million from Pennsylvania’s portion of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

“While all schools have been impacted this year by the COVID-19 pandemic, the schools that have been identified under ESSA as needing extra support are facing additional challenges,” said Gov. Tom Wolf. “This funding will help these high-need schools as they put systems in place to help students while we work to control the spread of this virus.”

ESSA requires states to designate schools for support and improvement based on the performance of individual student groups in key areas, including academic achievement and growth, graduation rates, and various student success factors.

“The state not only stepped in to help local school districts, but it set aside money for the school districts that needed the most assistance in trying to find a safe and effective way to continue education during this health crisis,” said Berks County state Rep. Mark Rozzi. 

The local grants are as follows:

• Reading School District, Reading Senior High School: $668,101
• Muhlenberg School District, Muhlenberg Middle School: $99,931
• Governor Mifflin School District, Governor Mifflin Senior High School: $93,406
• Berks County Intermediate Unit: $66,770
• Daniel Boone Area School District, Daniel Boone Area High School: $48,324
• Conrad Weiser Area School District, Conrad Weiser High School: $42,887
• Antietam School District, Antietam Middle School/Antietam High School: $39,222
• Tulpehocken Area School District, Tulpehocken Junior-Senior High School: $36,761
• Conrad Weiser Area School District, Conrad Weiser East Elementary School: $21,594

“I am grateful the state found a way to provide the money our schools need to keep our children, our teachers and our Berks County community safe during these trying times,” said state Rep. Tom Caltagirone.

To date, the Wolf administration said it has awarded $87.5 million in Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funding, which is part of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.