Regional Calls with USED: A Recap
February 02, 2022
This year, AASA is pleased to be working with USED to facilitate ongoing, rotating regional calls for school superintendents to speak directly with USED Secretary Miguel Cardona and Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten. You can check out the anticipated schedule of upcoming calls here. USED followed up with a variety of resources mentioned during the call, that we are happy to share here:
- COVID-19 Testing
- Testing is an important part of COVID mitigation strategies. To help troubleshoot some of your questions on how to start testing, access resources and use various funding streams, visit https://www.ed.gov/coronavirus/testing-resources.
- The Administration recently announced access to an additional 5M rapid antigen tests for schools, as well as capacity for 5M more PCR tests. See FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Increases COVID-19 Testing in Schools to Keep Students Safe and Schools Open | The White House for more information. Districts with questions about how to access these resource should contact their State Department of Health, and can also email the CDC at covidschooltesting@cdc.gov with logistical questions.
- Staffing Shortages
- The Department recently released resources on addressing teacher and staff shortages: “Using American Rescue Plan Funds and Other Federal Supports to Address Teacher Shortages” and “Using American Rescue Plan Funds and Other Federal Supports to Address Staff Shortages”
- As shared in the Zoom chat by Kirk Miller of Montana, the Montana Rural Teacher Project has resources for addressing educator shortages in rural areas: https://www.montana.edu/education/grad/mat/tqp.html.
- American Rescue Plan (ARP)
- We encourage you to share the ways you are using ARP funds throughout your school communities. The Department recently launched #ARPStars, a social media campaign highlighting schools, states, and educators – in their own words – doing everything they can to fight COVID-19 and give students, teachers, and families the tools they need to succeed. Check out their first few posts. Share your projects, use the hashtag and they will lift up the posts!
