As pressure builds for extending the period of availability of pandemic funding, claims of fraud, noncompliance, waste, and failure to expend the funds have multiplied. The Justice Department has formed a “Pandemic Fraud” unit, and the OIG at the U.S. Education Department has increased staffing to carry out audits and investigations on multiple fronts. There is stiff resistance in Congress to appropriate more funding until there is a proper accounting of the funds already awarded. Education took a back seat at the State of the Union last week as President Biden focused on the escalating conflict in Ukraine and the recent changes around the Centers for Disease Control guidance on masks. But Biden did emphasize the importance of keeping schools open for in-person instruction and called on parents to “make sure your school” spends funds under the American Rescue Plan to hire teachers and “help students make up for lost learning.” 

In these portions of the speech, Biden echoed statements that he — and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona — have made before, emphasizing the importance of in-person learning and their desire for schools and districts to use the money for supplemental instruction and staffing. Both have suggested a longer-term focus on spending on the federal stimulus bills and exactly how the money is spent — indicating a lengthy and detailed monitoring process in the coming years.

But while Biden laid out his plans for the next year in the address, lawmakers were still scrambling to finalize appropriations for federal fiscal year (FY) 2022. That debate has been upended by new emergency requests for foreign aid and pandemic preparedness. And with FY 2023 on the horizon, the need to confirm a new Supreme Court justice, and a midterm election cycle, lawmakers will be busy for the next few months. 

Will the busy Congressional agenda leave room for, say, reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act or the school lunch program? It’s too early to tell, but if those items do make it to the Congressional calendar, we expect them to move quickly.

Confused? Concerned? Overwhelmed? Let our experts untangle these issues for you at the Brustein & Manasevit Spring Forum.

We are offering an Introductory and Advanced Pre-Session on May 2nd from 12 pm – 2:30 PM EST. These sessions are optional and will be held concurrently. The forum will run four hours a day (noon to 4 PM EST) from May 3rd to May 5th, with both general and breakout sessions catered to the most pressing matters in federal grants management. Rhea Hubbard from OMB is invited to discuss recent OMB initiatives on further streamlining the federal grants management process. Mark Robinson, Director of the Department’s Risk Management Service, will explain the Department’s strategies for assessing the risks aligned with the more than tripling of the federal budget for education accomplished by ESSER, GEER, and HEERF. And Keith Cummins from OIG has been invited to address current federal auditing for ESSER and HEERF. Program officials from OCTAE have been invited to discuss federal monitoring under Perkins V.

We will also feature panels comprised of state, local and postsecondary administrators to learn how they are dealing with these uninterrupted crises in effectively managing their federal stimulus funds and regular grants. And of course, the BRUMAN team will lead sessions covering legislative developments on the Hill, likely funding scenarios for the program year beginning July 1, 2022 including the proposal to double funding for Title I of ESEA, timeliness of spending federal funds under the Tydings Amendment, avoiding the lapsing or late liquidation of funds, preparing for and defending audits, developing compliant internal controls, blending and braiding of funds, as well as addressing staff shortages in the long and short term.