News

As of May, states and school districts had yet to spend 93 percent of the education funding allocated to them under the Democrats’ American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Meanwhile, low-income students are struggling to recover from academic learning loss caused by the pandemic and extended school closures.  
 
Studies have shown that students in low-income schools are 13 months behind their peers in high-income schools, likely because more low-income schools shut their classrooms and parents’ concerns for their children were not considered.
 
U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Tim Scott (R-SC) introduced the Raising Expectations with Child Opportunity Vouchers for Educational Recovery (RECOVER) Act to empower parents to address the learning loss crisis facing today’s students by directly providing them unspent funding to cover tutoring, curriculum materials, and other educational expenses.
 

• “Low-income students should not have to suffer because Democrats kept schools closed far longer than when the CDC gave the green light for them to reopen. This bill would enable parents to help their children catch up on what they missed out on rather than relying solely on union-run school systems.” – Senator Rubio

• “States and school districts have only spent a fraction of the education funds they received through the Democrats’ American Rescue Plan — leaving kids helpless as they struggle to recover from academic setbacks. It’s clear that big-government bailouts won’t solve our education crisis. That’s why the RECOVER Act allows those funds to flow to a much better steward: parents. I urge all of my colleagues to join me on this bill that would empower parents to help their kids thrive once again.” – Senator Scott

 
Click here for a full list of Senate cosponsors. Representative Burgess Owens (R-UT) is introducing companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
 
Flashback … Rubio led the charge to reopen schools in 2021.