Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools) put $720 million in COVID-related grant funds to good use, according to the Maryland State Department of Education.
The Maryland State Department of Education Monitoring Results Report noted that City Schools effectively and appropriately managed COVID grant finances and programming across multiple awards and multiple years. Despite the unprecedented nature of the pandemic – and the size, complexity, and duration of the relief effort – City Schools COVID spending was deemed fiscally responsible by the state audit carried out by Hagerty Consulting.
Excerpting from the report:
“No Recommendations or Corrective Actions were rendered as a result of this monitoring process. Furthermore, no follow-up actions from Baltimore City are required.”
“Having assessed the information supplied by Baltimore City throughout this process for accuracy and completeness as it relates to specific compliance criteria, the Hagerty Monitoring Team did not find deficiencies within either of the three Key Performance Indicators: Financial Management, Cost Allowability, and Program Management examined in its monitoring of Baltimore City’s COVID Relief Subaward.”
“While I am in no way surprised by the clean state audit of City Schools COVID grant spending, it is gratifying for our team to receive this level of feedback,” said CEO Dr. Sonja Brookins Santelises. “Our dedicated staff members deserve kudos for smart investing of many grants with separate requirements across multiple years, resulting in strategic impacts on our children and facilities for the long term.”
“As Commissioners, our priorities are squarely focused on student success and effective stewardship of public resources,” said Board Chair Robert Salley. “These grants provided schools with critical investments such as tutoring, expanding after-school and summer programming, and facilities improvements to meet students’ health needs. The state’s affirmation of this excellence is another testament to this community’s strength amid our gains in school star ratings and state achievement data.”
Learn more about City Schools COVID spending to support students and schools at https://www.baltimorecityschools.org/page/funding