Nassau County Executive Laura Curran recently announced a new initiative to assist Nassau County’s school districts with applying for FEMA and other grant funding to help with the many expenses from the pandemic. In order for the county to continue to maximize grant funds and protect taxpayers, the county will now be providing consulting services to school districts to help them navigate FEMA reimbursements, ESSER funding and additional grant assistance.
“COVID-19 had a devastating economic impact on countless businesses and industries in Nassau—especially our school districts who had to pick up the cost of adjusting to new protocols and mandates in order to keep students safe during the pandemic,” Curran said. “This has been a school year like no other and our school districts constantly went above and beyond to make sure our students continued to receive a top-notch education despite the uncertain circumstances. Nassau will continue to work in assisting our school districts to receive compensation for the expenses they had to pay in order to safely get our children back in the classroom.”
School districts incurred unexpected expenses due to COVID-19, such as new HVAC filters, new barriers in classrooms and communal spaces and enhanced cleaning, among many other costs, put a burden on their budgets, which in turn can be passed onto the local taxpayer.
School districts have avenues for grants and reimbursements, but federal funding streams like FEMA or ESSER can be difficult to navigate and cumbersome to administer—leaving money on the table that should go to support school districts. In order to help districts make the most of federal dollars, Nassau County will now be providing consulting services to school districts to apply for FEMA reimbursements.
To assist districts, Nassau has established the following:
• A questionnaire to asses school districts needs
• A webinar for school administrators and faculty
• A designated phone number and email address where questions about eligibility and expenses can be submitted and answered
• Identify technological needs to assist students with digital access issues
• FEMA grant application assistance including:
–request for public assistance
–review of documentation
–FEMA web portal management
–FEMA & DHSES requests for information
–ARP-ESSER application and planning assistance
“On behalf of the school districts in Nassau County, we want to thank the county executive and everyone involved in this initiative to help school districts,” Dr. Robert R. Dillon, district superintendent of Nassau BOCES, said. “The expenses forced on school districts by the pandemic were astronomical. Any help in recovering these funds on behalf of our communities is greatly appreciated.”
The school district services, including direct contact information, are available at www.nassaucountyny.gov/NassauSchoolRecoveryResource.
—Submitted by the office of County Executive Laura Curran
