In an effort to help Minnesota’s students recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Tim Walz says he will be leveraging federal funds to provide academic enrichment and mental health support over the summer.
According to Walz, he is funding summer learning opportunities by allocating $75 million of the flexible State Fiscal Stabilization Funds in President Biden’s American Rescue Plan.
Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan announced the funds for academic and mental health support at Otter Lake Elementary School in White Bear Lake.
“All of these were requested from school leaders. They were asking to get this out there for our kids. We’d have liked to have seen it come out earlier,” said Walz.
“We worked together to get to this point. We have the shared value of getting our kids what they need. Are able to prevent some of the summer slide and to catch up,” said Flanagan.
The funding is going to academic and mental health support, preschools for 4 and 5 year olds, school-linked mental health grants, expanded access to tutoring, increased adult basic education program funding and learning acceleration and college readiness initiatives.
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