ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WBOC/AP)- Maryland will receive $210 million for remote learning and tutoring to help schools and students most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gov. Larry Hogan and State Superintendent Karen Salmon made the announcement Monday.
The money is being allocated through federal coronavirus relief funding.
So far, the governor's office says more than $255 million in federal aid has been set aside to help students affected by the impact of the virus on education.
Monday's announcement includes:
Remote Learning Enhancements: $100 Million
To address the digital divide, Hogan and Salmon have allocated $100 million to be made available to local school systems to ensure that students have access to the most up-to-date devices and connectivity. It is estimated that student devices need to be replaced when they are over four years old. Local school systems must also take into account having the staff necessary to deploy and maintain devices. Having this infrastructure in place is critical to the state’s long-term recovery from COVID-19.
Targeted Tutoring Initiatives: $100 Million
In order to deal with learning loss due to time away from direct instruction and teacher intervention, Hogan and Salmon have allocated $100 million for local school systems that implement tutoring and learning programs designed to help students in need. Research has shown that the rate of learning gain can be improved with intensive tutoring. At-risk students are most often identified based on math and reading scores that are significantly below their grade level.
Rural Broadband: $10 Million
The Governor’s Office of Rural Broadband will construct a wireless education network for students’ use in Western Maryland, Southern Maryland, and on the Eastern Shore. This network will initially be constructed in the areas that currently lack broadband service, but could be expanded to cover other areas of the state where access may be limited for other reasons. The state is proposing a wireless, Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network using frequency provided by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for educational purposes, or available unlicensed frequencies. In total, the governor has now committed $20 million in CARES Act funding to expand rural broadband and an additional $5 million for urban broadband.
