Over the past four years, Alabama schools have received $3 billion in federal pandemic relief funds, which have been used for teacher training, hiring aides, tutoring, and facility updates. However, many districts, especially those with high poverty rates and limited resources, still have unspent funds. As the deadline to use the remaining $500 million approaches at the end of September, state officials note that much of this money is still unspent due to challenges in financial management and the urgent demands of running schools during the pandemic. State Superintendent Eric Mackey and UAB Professor Peter Jones highlighted that the pandemic’s pressures left little time for districts to strategically allocate the funds. Smaller districts, in particular, struggle with financial management and spending the funds effectively. The complexity of managing such large sums and justifying investments in financial systems has contributed to the difficulties in fully utilizing the relief money.
