Question: Is there an easy formula to know which is more advantageous for my school — the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or federal Emergency Assistance to Nonpublic Schools (EANS) funds?
Answer: WCRIS is working with DPI to determine how to apportion and disburse the state’s allotment of $77.4 million in EANS funds, according to requirements in the law. The Governor’s staff reports the Governor will be applying for the EANS funds tomorrow, which is step one in getting access to the money.
This situation is evolving daily as WCRIS and DPI work together to create a process for disbursing the funds. In the meantime, this is what we know:
When it comes to the PPP funds, you’ll have to determine eligibility for round two; the size of your school payroll, and the amount of your eligible rent payments, and other allowable expenditures. See this link for PPP information.
For the EANS funds, you need to consider which of the 12 allowable uses for EANS that your school actually needs and if you have a lot of poor students because that means a larger amount of funds. See this link for EANS information.
Timing and ease of applications is also a significant factor, which every principal will answer differently based on their school’s unique situation.
WCRIS is working with the DPI on creating the EANS application and disbursement of funds process. The DPI hopes to open an online portal with a simple application, which would trigger reimbursements to private schools.
EANS funds are a new program and are operating differently than previous federal programs for private schools. This means that reimbursements directly to schools from the DPI are allegedly allowed because they are ordered by Congress in the law. The actual execution of this remains to be seen.
In addition, under EANS, private schools will be allowed to seek reimbursement for past expenses since last March. However, it is still unknown how this will work. Further, the EANS funds have a tight timeline. See the link above.
You should also consider the fact that anything purchased with EANS funds is owned by the state. There are also provisions in the law that prevent certain items, like laptops, from being used for religious instruction and activities. There is some agreement that incidental encounters with religious-related instruction does not count (for example, using a bible word story for a reading or writing assignment).
However, for PPP, you are not reliant on the state government’s bureaucracy or interpretations for the access and use of the funds. The PPP funds can be requested now through your local bank. The PPP funds can help offset a school’s biggest expense — payroll, and rent. Whereas, the EANS fund’s 12 allowable uses only allow reimbursement for supplemental staff obtained through a third party vendor (such as a CESA or Catapult).
While there is no formula to figure out which program provides the most benefits, you should first establish if you are eligible for the second round of PPP. If you are not eligible, then you are left with applying for EANS funds.
A rough calculation for EANS funds that WCRIS has proposed to the state, comes out to be $500 a student, plus an extra $150 per pupil for students in poverty. So, take your enrollment and multiply it by $500 per student, then add $150 per student in poverty, to figure out your rough EANS budget. This is not a promised allotment. It is merely a calculation you can use to get a ballpark figure of how much EANS funds could theoretically be available to your school.
For more details as this situation evolves, stay tuned to Current Events and the WCRIS website, which is updated daily.
