Nevada’s pandemic relief spending plan for schools approved

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Education on Monday approved a plan submitted by the state of Nevada to spend $1.1 billion in pandemic aid earmarked for K-12 schools. The approved plan outlines Nevada’s strategy to reopen all schools for in-person learning in the current school year, directing districts to use funds to close opportunity gaps for underserved students, expand access to technology, and enable distance learning. The funding is a massive windfall for Nevada, which spends roughly $3.3 billion in state and local funds annually on K-12 education and has long ranked near the bottom of the United States in per-pupil spending.