Idaho’s state Board of Education reports that in just 48 hours, it had received about 18,600 applications from parents for the new “Strong Families, Strong Students” program that will pay for computers and other services to help with their kids’ education during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The state allocated $50 million in CARES Act federal coronavirus aid for the new program, which will provide eligible families $1,500 per child, up to a maximum of $3,500 per family, to offset new costs they face for education in the age of COVID, including distance learning.
However, simple math suggests that if the state paid $1,500 each for 18,600 schoolkids, it would spend $57.4 million – more than it has available.
The Idaho Press reports, the program just opened for applications on Wednesday.
