Florida is the only state in the country that hasn’t submitted a plan to receive billions in federal aid for education, according to a letter President Joe Biden’s administration sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ commissioner of education on Monday.
According to Ian Rosenblum, a U.S. Department of Education official, without the approved plan the state won’t be able to receive more than $2.3 billion out of the $7 billion in American Rescue Plan funds allocated to Florida.
Recommended Videos
“We have heard repeatedly from parents, teachers, and superintendents from school districts in Florida that FDOE has not yet awarded ARP ESSER funds to local educational agencies,” Rosenblum wrote to Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran.
The Florida Department of Education did not meet the June deadline, nor did it meet the July and August submission timelines, Rosenblum wrote.
“FDOE’s delay raises significant concerns because of the unnecessary uncertainty it is creating for school districts across the state and because it is hindering their ability to confidently plan for how to use these funds to address the needs of students,” Rosenblum wrote.
The FDOE had yet to publicly respond to the letter on Monday afternoon.
Read the letter
Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editor Guadalupe Monarrez and ABC News’ Ben Stein contributed to this report.