For Higher Education, CARES Act Emergency Grants Comes With Lessons Learned – NASFAA
As a vast majority of the funds allocated in the latest stimulus package have been disbursed to institutions and students, the higher education community has its sights set on the next federal stimulus package and is hoping both lawmakers and the Department of Education (ED) learn from some of the obstacles that slowed implementation of the the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Many are pinning their hopes on the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, which passed the House in May on a largely party line vote but has yet to be formally taken up in the GOP-controlled Senate, where it is almost certainly going to undergo significant revisions if it has any chance of passing.
Beyond the additional funding that the higher education community has consistently clamored for — which will very likely be the last chance for help from the federal government before the fall semester begins — many believe there are ways to improve the allocation and delivery of assistance to students.
For starters, the Center for American Progress, a public policy research and advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., developed an alternative model formula for determining how much federal assistance institutions receive, after the CARES Act was criticized for weighting full-time enrollment and disproportionately allocating funds to private institutions over public institutions.