Good morning. Welcome to ACIOS today. It's Monday, March 15th. I'm Nyla Boudou.

Here's what we're covering today. FEMA is being sent to the southern border and silence

from President Biden over Governor Cuomo. Plus, March madness is back. But first, the costs

of reopening schools is today's one big thing.

Most kids are finally making their way back to the classroom for in-person schooling. But for

some low-income school districts, it's costing them a lot more.

ACIOS is managing editor David Neither has been reporting on America's unequal return to school.

David, I think we should start with what a school needs to open back safely.

So schools need to be able to do COVID testing. They need masks for everybody. They need

probably new ventilation systems, better ventilation. And they're probably going to need additional

staff and space because they're going to need smaller class sizes. They're going to have to be

able to keep all the students apart. They may even need other things like more bus drivers because

you can't fit as many kids safely on the buses. So there's just all sorts of needs. They all cost

money and it's hard for all school districts, but it's definitely harder for something others.

So if you're a low-income school, how are you making this work?

If you're a low-income school district, you may be having to cut back on other expenses to make

it work. Like the Baltimore schools have had a hiring and spending freeze since the beginning

of the pandemic. In Goreville, Illinois, they had to basically have parents volunteer to drive buses

because they couldn't get enough bus drivers to run enough buses to keep the kids apart safely.

Wow. Well, President Biden just signed a massive COVID relief bill that's supposed to include

help for schools. How soon can especially these poor districts get help?

Well, that money is on the way now. It may take a little while to get through the bureaucracy,

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