Agudath Israel’s Connecticut office is pleased to announce that more than $500,000 has been awarded to Orthodox schools across Connecticut. “It took many months of collaborative work between nonpublic school representatives and the state, but we are grateful to Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker and the Department of Education for their partnership,” said Rabbi Ari Weisenfeld, director of Agudath Israel’s Connecticut office.

Starting in summer of 2022, Agudath Israel and other nonpublic school coalition partners reached out to the state about releasing approximately $12 million in federal COVID funding which had not yet been disbursed. This money, originally allocated under the Emergency Assistance for Nonpublic Schools program (EANS) created during the pandemic, needed to be reallocated under a different, more flexible program called the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund program (GEER), in order for nonpublic schools to be able to make use of them without multiple restrictions.

Now reallocated under GEER, the money can be used for a wider range of schools and school expenses, including smart boards, special education tutors, cleaning supplies, learning materials, and more.

“These additional funds will bring significant tangible benefits to nonpublic school students across the state,” said Rabbi Weisenfeld.