To the Editor,

As we consider the use of American Rescue Plan funds, one thing that has been top of mind is that these ARP funds were intended to be a response to the pandemic fallout, and as such addressing the negative repercussions of COVID-19 should be the top priority. The group I am really concerned about are the students that were sent home and have fallen behind in their educations.

That is why I proposed we use some of the ARP funds to create a tutoring reimbursement program to address learning loss, specifically reaching the most vulnerable families in our community.

Education is progressive and even before the pandemic there were studies on the long-term effects of learning loss and how education impacts other metrics over the totality of a child’s life. Lifetime earnings, health, life expectancy, propensity for substance abuse and more have all been connected to education. The World Bank has projected that learning loss from COVID-19 could cost this generation of students $17 trillion in lifetime earnings.

Congress cited learning loss in the pandemic rescue bills funding for schools, but “many are spending a significant chunk of it on nonacademic programs, like new technology.” One expert said, “I’m afraid that while school agencies are planning a range of activities for catch-up, their plans are just not commensurate with the losses.”

Not all students suffered equally. Studies have shown that on average, this most harmed students from less affluent families, from single parent households, those who require IEPs and students in districts that locked down longer.

Less well-off families may not have had the best technology, and their parents were unable to afford supplemental tutoring. Many single parents did not have the ability to monitor their children’s remote learning. Virtual instruction did not work for many students with IEPs.

Teachers are struggling to catch students up while time marches on. It is very stressful as there are no more hours in the day and every week the gaps grow. I suspect this daunting challenge is contributing to the teacher burnout we are seeing nationally.

The Board of Education has instituted some programs for learning loss and should be commended; however, with many students months behind, a lot of kids will need outside help to catch up lest the achievement gaps will continue to widen. Reimbursing third-party tutors would allow parents to find the services that work best for their individual children and family schedule.

I am glad the ARP committee is considering this and hope it is moved forward. If you think it could help your child, please send me an email at knapp.newtown@gmail.com.

The optimum way to administer this idea is still undetermined, but I cannot think of an appropriation with a better ROI than addressing the learning lost during the pandemic.

My comments are my own and not on behalf of the Legislative Council of which I am a member.

Thank you,

Ryan Knapp

Sandy Hook