Connecticut Gets $10.6 Million In Federal Aid To Cover Cost Of Students Displaced By Hurricane Maria

Connecticut will be getting $10.6 million in federal aid to cover the cost of educating refugee students who fled hurricanes last year, with almost all of them coming from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.

A spokesman for Hartford schools said the district is expected to get about $2.1 million to $2.3 million of those funds to cover the cost of educating 459 students last year, while a New Haven school official said the district should receive about $1 million for 200 displaced students.

John Fergus, a spokesman for Hartford public schools, which served the greatest number of displaced students of any school system in the state, said in an email that the district “welcomed the students displaced by last year’s hurricanes with open arms.”

He said the hurricane relief funds “will help to guarantee that all our students continue to be provided the rigorous instruction and social emotional supports they need to graduate ready for college.”

Peter Yazbak, a spokesman for the state Department of Education, said the state hasn’t yet determined exactly how much money each district will receive, but is “committed to dispersing the funding as quickly as possible to help districts cover the unexpected costs they incurred during the 2017-18 school year.”

He said the department will be letting districts know early next week how much money they will get.

“We saw school districts across the state step up to enroll students displaced by the storm-related events of the last year and give them immediate access to the classroom,” Yazbak said, “[The state education department] remains grateful to district personnel for their continuing efforts to support grade advancement for these students and effectively provide the needed assistance for children and families in addressing the trauma they encountered.”

He said the state served a total of 2,043 students over the course of last school year, with 1,734 enrolled in district schools as of June 1. He said it wasn’t yet clear how many of those might be enrolling in Connecticut schools this fall.

The federal aid is part of $359.8 million in assistance targeted for 20 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands under the Temporary Emergency Impact Aid for Displaced Students program, according to an announcement made earlier this week by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

“The impact of natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires goes beyond the disaster area. The effects are felt nationwide, especially in those communities that take in displaced students and families,” DeVos said in a statement. “This additional funding will ensure schools serving displaced students are able to meet their unique needs under such difficult circumstances.”

About 95 percent of the refugees in Connecticut came from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria devastated the island in September, but the federal aid also covers the cost of educating students displaced by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma and the California wildfires.

The allocations were based on the number of students served, with $9,000 for each displaced student who was learning English; $10,000 for each displaced student with a disability; and $8,000 each for students not reported to have a disability or to be learning English.

The funds cover the cost of additional teachers, social workers and other staff needed to serve the influx of students.