"An increase in spending on transportation costs by school districts was likely inevitable, but that does not account for a massive influx of federal fiscal relief for K-12 public schools that came about in response to the pandemic. The federal government has allocated nearly $4 billion in fiscal aid over the course of the past year towards Arizona’s K-12 education system, 90% of which is given “directly to school districts or charter schools.”"

"These relief funds “are one-time monies and mostly unrestricted, meaning they can be used for any legal purpose,” says McCarthy..."