Governor Greg Abbott recently announced the release of an additional $123.3 million in education funding appropriated to Texas by Congress as part of the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund. With this latest release of federal funds, the state has directed over $362 million to higher education and $67.5 million to K-12 public education since the pandemic began.
Of the latest $123.3 million release of funds, $20 million will be sent to the Supplemental Special Education Services (SSES) program, which provides $1,500 online grants to eligible parents of students in special education. $30.3 million, the largest single portion of this release, will be sent to Student Success Initiatives (SSIs) designed to improve enrollment, retention, and credential completion.
The release also includes $10 million for Charter School Incubating and Replicating grants designed to increase the number of charter schools across the state. In the press release announcing the release of funds, Abbott stated, “The State of Texas remains committed to students and their success in our education systems—that includes ensuring parents have an option to send their kids to a high-quality charter school…”
According to the Governor’s press release, this round of funding also includes:
- $25 million to support Texas nurses through loan repayment, financial aid for nursing students, and to accelerate innovation in nursing education.
- $17.5 million to expand workforce-aligned, short-term credentials for high-need areas, including digital skills, data analytics, and programs for front-line health care workers.
- $12.5 million to continue strategic investments in student financial aid programs, including transfer grants and the Texas Leadership Scholarship Program.
- $5 million to support the agency’s ongoing work to modernize the state’s educational and workforce data infrastructure and enhance cybersecurity.
- $3 million for Commercial Driver License (CDL) training and repayment, to improve transportation and the supply chain.”