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ARPA and Educators

What Does the American Rescue Plan Mean for Educators and Students?
MAE welcomes lawmakers Photo by Pam Johnson 2022
MAE works with legislators and other elected officials whose decisions will affect the use of ARPA funding throughout the state.

The American Rescue Plan includes nearly $170 billion in dedicated public education funding.

That money can be used to reduce class sizes and modify spaces to comply with social distancing; modernize HVAC systems; hire more school custodians, nurses and counselors; and facilitate social distancing on transportation services with additional buses and drivers.

The funding can also be used to add supports to address student trauma and learning loss.

“We have an unprecedented opportunity to create the public schools all students — Black and White, Native and newcomer, Hispanic and Asian alike — need and deserve. Our work is not over.”

Becky Pringle, NEA President

MAE is working with lawmakers and other elected officials, as well as with members, to determine the best use of these funds.

Sanchioni Butler is serving as Mississippi Association of Educators ARPA organizer. Email her at [email protected] for questions or concerns about your school's grant funding.

CHECK HERE TO SEE THE CHART BOOK ON FEDERAL EXPENDITURE OF ARPA FUNDS.

Sanchioni Butler
We intend to make sure there is a state-wide report available on how ARPA funds are being spent. Educators deserve to know.
Quote by: Sanchioni Butler, MAE ARPA Coordinator
Two educators look over a checklist together. On the left, a bald man wearing glasses, a light blue t-shirt and a dark blue sweater holds a checklist in one hand and points to it with another. On the right, a woman in a tan colored shirt with long dark hair looks down at the list, holding a pen in her right hand.

American Rescue Plan Checklist

The American Rescue Plan can fund our schools’ most critical needs. Help us rank what the funding priorities should be in your state and district to share with lawmakers.
Mississippi Association of Educators logo

Advocating strong public schools for every student and every public school employee

Mississippi Association of Educators (MAE) represents thousands of Mississippians—educators, students, activists, workers, parents, neighbors, friends—who believe in opportunity for all students and in the power of public education to transform lives and create a more just and inclusive society.