NEW EANS Guidance for Catholic Schools
ARP EANS II (Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools)
The America Recovery Act Program (ARP) provides a second Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (EANS) program for which state governors will be receiving funding and providing it to State Education Departments (SEAs) to administer. SEAs will soon be posting applications for schools to apply.
ARP EANS: This second $2.75 billion program follow EANS I with some additional restrictions:
- Only schools with a “significant number” of low-income students may apply. The US Department of Education has determined that the school poverty count be 40%, unless the state governor decides to use a different percentage.
- A school cannot apply for both EANs and the new Payroll Protection Program (round two). Schools may apply for EANS if they received a PPP in the first round and choose not to do it in round two.
- There are specific criteria outlined to determine “impact” of COVID on students and school community (Section H-8) in the guidance document.
US Department of Education issued Revised Guidance for the ARP EANS. There is additional information, but no significant changes, to assist in implementing the entire program outlined in the first set of Q&As. This new guidance replaces the former.
The information pertaining to EANS for private schools is contained in Section H of the document. It elaborates on the provisions for EANS regarding determining poverty level of school (H5-7) and specifics regarding how to calculate “impact” of COVID (H-8). There is additional information scattered throughout the document – such as D-16 regarding ventilation expenses which provide more expansive interpretation regarding window and portable devices that may make it possible for schools to upgrade their systems.
Please note the timelines on page 37 of the document.
Poverty count determination remains a big issue for Catholic schools. The law allows the state governor to modify the 40% threshold – so continue to negotiate with governor’s office for modification of the school poverty count percentage. Preliminary survey data indicate success in a number of states in which advocates were able to lower the percentages: one state has lowered it to 8% and several others to less than 20%.