County Executive Barry Glassman on Monday granted an additional $2.1 million to Harford County Public Schools for COVID-19 related expenses, bringing to $7.1 million the school system’s total allocation from the county’s CARES Act funds. A prior grant of $5 million was distributed in October.
Federal CARES Act funding must be spent by December 30, 2020. With Monday’s grant to education, the Glassman administration has expended all of the county’s $44.6 million CARES Act allotment prior to the deadline.
Harford’s major outlays of CARES Act funds for public health included the costs of personal protective equipment (PPE) for first responders; cleaning supplies and renovations to enable social distancing, and teleworking for public employees. Business support was provided in the form of direct grants to a total of 1,732 small businesses affected by the pandemic, including restaurants and childcare providers. Grants were targeted to help them stay afloat during the statewide shutdown and reopen safely to the extent permitted.
“I am thankful to my staff and pleased that we were able to put all $44.6 million back into our community,” County Executive Glassman said. “I have always been confident that local governments are among the best at getting help into the hands of the citizens we serve.”
