WHITTIER – The Whittier Union High School District will benefit from $13.7 million in relief funds, presented by Congresswoman Linda Sánchez during a July 8 distribution event at Pioneer High School.

The financial relief stems from the American Rescue Plan, which allotted funding for public education through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds. The plan, supported by Congresswoman Sánchez, will help ensure the District’s recovery out of the pandemic.

“This year away from the classroom has been tough for many kids, especially our younger students,” Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez (D-CA) said. “As schools return to in-person learning, we must ensure they have the resources they need to not only keep teachers, students, and staff safe, but also meet their academic, social, and emotional needs in the wake of this pandemic. The American Rescue Plan, which I voted for in March, provides K-12 schools with those very tools. I am proud to be here today to highlight the $13 million Whittier Union High School District has received through this relief package.”

Whittier Union will collaborate with each of its schools to allocate the funds in a manner that supports the needs of all students.

“This funding from the American Rescue Plan goes directly to help Southern California schools, teachers, administrators, students, and families,” Sánchez said. “It is an historic investment that will fund crucial summer and afterschool programs, hire additional educators to address learning loss, and implement strategies that will keep everyone healthy. Our community is better off when our kids have what they need to succeed at school.”

Tentative plans for the funding include: increasing the focus on students’ social-emotional learning, reducing class sizes to support learning recovery, adding additional social workers to campuses, upgrading technology to address student and staff needs, assisting with college application fees, increasing parent outreach efforts, funding extracurricular activities, enhancing positive learning environments across all sites, and supporting staff with professional learning.

“Whittier Union High School District is immensely grateful for Congresswoman Linda Sánchez, who helped make the recovery of our schools a priority in the American Rescue Plan,” Superintendent Martin Plourde said. “We want to recover thoughtfully, and thank the Congresswoman for providing the resources to help us move forward following a very challenging year.”

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WUHSD_FUNDS1: Whittier Union High School District receives $13.7 million in relief funds from Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez during a July 8 distribution event at Pioneer High School.