Coronavirus Relief Package Offers Up More Than $30 Billion For Education
NPRCoronavirus Relief Package Offers Up More Than $30 Billion For Education Enlarge this image toggle caption Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images The U.S. Senate's $2 trillion coronavirus relief package includes more than $30 billion for education, with more than $14 billion for colleges and universities and at least $13.5 billion for the nation's K-12 schools. In addition to the money, the bill gives Education Secretary Betsy DeVos new power to grant states waivers from various federal education laws and regulations, including testing and accountability. Higher education leaders worry the more than $14 billion lawmakers put aside won't be enough to save many small schools with low endowments from closing — it's a far cry from the $50 billion those leaders asked for earlier this month. The Senate bill puts federal student loan payments on hold and uses a funding formula that gives schools with large numbers of Pell Grant recipients more money.