SPS hopes to retain 60 of the 181 jobs from pandemic-related federal funding thats about to run out [Video]

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – From long-term health problems to workforce shortages, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic linger on.

And Springfield Public Schools is about to deal with another aspect from the pandemic as it tackles the 2024-25 school budget.

With the school year coming to a close on Thursday, SPS Superintendent Grenita Lathan has spent part of her time touring schools to hand-out packs of books to younger students to encourage them to read over the summer.

But Lathan and her staff are also working on the 2024-25 school budget that’s due by June 30 and one of the challenges is that federal money that had been available to SPS during the pandemic has now dried up.

There had been several rounds of federal funding during the pandemic with half of the most recent $61.5 million allotment used in the 2023-24 budget. The funding officially ends in September.

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