May 1, 2020

Need to know: COVID-19

For more, view all of EdNC’s COVID-19 coverage here.

Reopening, continued

In a press conference Thursday, Gov. Cooper and Sec. Cohen said they “remain hopeful” North Carolina will be able to enter Phase I of the gradual reopening plan next Friday, May 8. Sec. Cohen gave an update on where the state stands on key COVID-19 and testing/tracing metrics.

The bad news is COVID-like syndromic cases ticked upward over the past seven days and the number of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to increase as the state expands testing. The good news is both the share of positive tests as a percentage of total tests and the number of hospitalizations are decreasing. Additionally, the state is increasing testing and contact tracing. See the full presentation here.

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The COVID-19 legislative session

The 2020 short session of the General Assembly launched this week, and both the House and Senate passed COVID-19 spending plans. They are now working on a compromise plan. Here are a few education highlights from the two bills:

House plan:

  • More than $291 million on K-12 education, including:
    • $80 million for school nutrition
    • $70 million for students “whose learning has been negatively affected by the impacts of COVID-19” (includes the summer learning program)
    • $35 million to purchase computers and electronic devices for local districts, charter schools, and regional schools
    • More than $21 million to improve internet connectivity for students by providing community and home mobile internet access
    • More than $1.3 million to DPI to improve internet connectivity for students by creating access points on school buses
  • $25 million to the community college system office to distribute to community colleges for:
    • Enhanced online learning capacity and costs associated with the shift online
    • Resources and supports for faculty and staff
    • Small Business Center counselors
    • Information technology expenses
    • Facility sanitation and other expenses for ongoing campus operations
  • More than $48 million to the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina to distribute to institutions for:
    • Costs associated with the shift online
    • Digital learning accelerator
    • Facility sanitation and other expenses for ongoing campus operations
    • Assistance to students and employees, including counseling services and IT support

Senate plan:

  • $148 million for K-12 education, including:
    • $70 million for summer learning programs
    • $56 million for school nutrition services
    • $22 million for continuity of critical school nutrition programs (meal delivery across the state)
  • $25 million to the community college system office for the same priorities listed above in the House plan
  • $42.4 million to the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina for the same priorities listed above in the House plan

Find both bills and read more from EdNC’s Alex Granados here.

In the news

It was another big week in the education world. Check out these articles:


  • School Children Without Internet. We Could Fix That.

    Forbes | 04/29/2020

  • One Governor's Plan to Provide Free Tuition to Essential Workers

    Route Fifty | 05/01/2020

  • North Carolina’s surge in community college presidential turnover ‘a model for the country’

    EducationNC | 04/27/2020

  • The Path Ahead for K-12 Education

    Economics21 | 04/28/2020

  • States Made It Harder to Get Jobless Benefits. Now That’s Hard to Undo.

    The Upshot | 04/30/2020

  • Eastern North Carolina hospitals cope with the financial realities of coronavirus

    North Carolina Health News | 05/01/2020


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