Millions of dollars in pandemic-era relief spending that went to K-12 public education and universities was misspent, according to federal and state audits.
As COVID-19 spread around the world in 2020, federal, state, and local officials encouraged or ordered policies that led to the closures of businesses and schools around the United States. Between 2020 and 2021, Congress appropriated about $7 trillion in economic stimulus spending, including about $280 billion for states, K–12 schools, school districts, and institutions of higher education.
