Rep. Clark Secures Malden Schools Over $8.8 Million in Funding

MALDEN, MA – Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark (MA-05) announced today that the American Rescue Plan includes $15,785,000 for the Malden Public School district, a portion of the over $3.1 billion in emergency education funding to support Massachusetts schools and families.

“When President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law last month, we knew that help was on the way. Today, I’m happy to announce just how substantial that aid will be for Malden schools, families, and child care providers,” said Assistant Speaker Clark. “With this funding, Malden schools, and schools across the district, will be able to open their doors and provide essential services to keep the entire school community safe. This pandemic and its physical, emotional, and economic fallout have made life increasingly hard for students and families, but this funding provides vital relief to get the Commonwealth and country back on its feet.”

“The hallways of Malden Public Schools look like the walkways of Massachusetts- it’s the most diverse school district in the Commonwealth,” John Oteri, Superintendent of Malden Public Schools. “Yet despite this mirror, students of color are too often left behind by policy and budgets, creating outcomes stained by inequity. Outcomes that were exacerbated this year by COVID-19, remote learning and state cuts. With the passage of the American Rescue Plan, Malden Public Schools will receive nearly $16 million to bridge current budgetary gaps and help us ensure our students can access the equitable education they deserve.”

In total, Massachusetts will receive an estimated $512,000,000 for child care providers and families, $13,628,000 for Head Start programs, $1,830,128,000 for K-12 schools, and $825,467,000 for higher education institutions.

Nationwide, the American Rescue Plan provides:

• More than $120 billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, which will give schools the resources they need to reopen safely for in-person instruction and address the significant impact of the pandemic on students’ education and well-being.
• $40 billion for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, which is awarded directly to institutions of higher education. At least half of the funding institutions receive must be distributed to students in the form of emergency grants to prevent hunger, homelessness, and other hardships caused by COVID-19.
• $39 billion in supplemental funding for child care, which will help child care providers keep their doors open and reduce costs for struggling families.
• $1 billion in emergency funding for Head Start, which will be used to maintain access to services for children and families.

# # #