Estimated Resource Costs for Implementation of CDC’s Recommended COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 Public Schools — United States, 2020–21 School Year

On December 11, 2020, this report was posted online as an MMWR Early Release.

Ketra L. Rice, PhD1; Gabrielle F. Miller, PhD1; Fátima Coronado, MD1; Martin I. Meltzer, PhD1 (View author affiliations)

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Summary

What is already known about this topic?

CDC recommends mitigation strategies that schools can adopt to minimize the risk for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in school settings.

What is added by this report?

Costs per student for implementation of strategies range from a mean of $55 (materials and consumables only) to $442 (materials and consumables, additional custodial staff members, and potential additional transportation). Incremental costs across states range from an additional 0.3% to 7.1% in costs needed above reported fiscal year 2018 school expenditures per student.

What are the implications for public health practice?

These findings offer schools, school districts, and other decision makers cost information necessary to budget and prioritize school resources during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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As school districts across the United States consider how to safely operate during the 2020–21 academic year, CDC recommends mitigation strategies that schools can adopt to reduce the risk for transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (1). To identify the resources and costs needed to implement school-based mitigation strategies and provide schools and jurisdictions with information to aid resource allocation, a microcosting methodology was employed to estimate costs in three categories: materials and consumables, additional custodial staff members, and potential additional transportation. National average estimates, using the national pre-kindergarten through grade 12 (preK–12) public enrollment of 50,685,567 students, range between a mean of $55 (materials and consumables only) to $442 (all three categories) per student. State-by-state estimates of additional funds needed as a percentage of fiscal year 2018 student expenditures (2) range from an additional 0.3% (materials and consumables only) to 7.1% (all three categories); however, only seven states had a maximum estimate above 4.2%. These estimates, although not exhaustive, highlight the level of resources needed to ensure that schools reopen and remain open in the safest possible manner and offer administrators at schools and school districts and other decision-makers the cost information necessary to budget and prioritize school resources during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Approximately 50 million students are enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States (3); since March 2020, approximately 270,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported among school-aged children (aged 5–17 years) (4). Although current evidence indicates that the risk for SARS-CoV-2–related hospitalizations and deaths among children is lower than that among adults, the risk for morbidity and mortality posed to teachers and other staff members in the school environment is expected to mirror that of other adults with similar demographic characteristics in the community (5). As school districts across the United States consider how to safely operate schools for the 2020–21 academic year, CDC provides indicators to help local jurisdictions determine the risk associated with operating schools for in-person learning. These indicators include measures of underlying community transmission and a measure of adherence to five primary mitigation strategies (1): 1) consistent and correct use of masks, 2) social distancing to the extent possible, 3) hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, 4) cleaning and disinfection, and 5) contact tracing in collaboration with the local health department. Other mitigation strategies that can also be used concurrently include cohorting and staggered scheduling (1). In this analysis, the resources needed to implement four of the five key mitigation strategies were identified and costs estimated, with the goal of providing estimates to aid resource allocation to ensure the safe operation of schools and reduce school-based transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Contact tracing, although an essential strategy to reduce transmission, was excluded because those costs are not financed by school district budgets.

A microcosting approach (6) was used to estimate resources and costs associated with implementing the critical CDC-recommended mitigation strategies. This approach involves collecting detailed data on resources needed for each strategy and applying unit costs for those resources. From a school budget perspective, resources needed to implement the four strategies are identified (Supplementary Table, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/97907), and total costs associated with each resource are estimated. Direct budgetary costs are the focus of this analysis; opportunity costs are excluded. The estimates indicate resources needed in addition to those already allocated in annual school budgets. Costs were aggregated and analyzed nationally and for each state and the District of Columbia (DC). A range is provided for each cost to indicate levels of cost variation around each estimate.

Personnel costs for school custodians were estimated using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.* To account for fringe benefits, annual wages were increased by the state and local government average of 37.8%. Labor demand for school custodians was derived from a study of national standards for allocating school custodians that increases the recommended number of custodians from a tier 3 level of cleaning (one custodian per 28,000–31,000 ft2) to a tier 2 level of cleaning (one custodian per 18,000–20,000 ft2) (7). The American Federation of Teachers estimates that tier 2 cleaning is needed for an estimated 10% of targeted physical areas per school (i.e., bathrooms, food service areas, and high-need classrooms, including special needs classes) (8). To allow for variation in school size, ranges of estimates for additional custodial services were estimated. The low estimate used an additional 1.25 full time equivalents (FTEs), and the high estimate used 2.5 FTEs (Supplementary Table, https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/97907) (7). Costs are inflated and reported in 2020 U.S. dollars.§ Potential additional transportation costs were extrapolated from a report by the American Federation of Teachers that forecasts an estimated 36% national increase in funding needed for school transportation (7). These potential costs assume that some schools would require additional buses, drivers, and protocols to implement social distancing on buses. The 36% national increase was distributed across states and adjusted by states’ past year transportation spending per student (8). Ranges for nonlabor costs for all materials and consumables were obtained from the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Supply Catalog 2020, GSA Advantage Disaster Relief and Pandemic Products online catalog, and through various e-commerce marketplace websites to derive a range of cost estimates across multiple sources and reflect price variability for materials across vendors. Aggregated material costs were adjusted for each state using the 2020 state-based composite cost of living index.** Average costs per student were calculated using the national preK–12 public student enrollment of 50,685,567 students (3). State-based cost estimates were adjusted based on the number of schools and the total school population within each state. Estimated pandemic-related per-student costs were calculated as a percentage of fiscal year 2018 per-student expenditures as reported by the National Center for Education Statistics (2).

National costs per student range between a mean of $55 (materials and consumables only) to $442 (three categories) (Table 1). The highest cost categories were related to employing additional custodians per school (44.8% of total costs) and potential additional transportation (42.8% of total cost). For state-based estimates, the incremental increase in costs per student for materials and consumables ranges from $47 to $109 per student; implementation of all strategies combined (including high and low projections for additional custodial staff members) range between $204 (Utah) and $912 (DC) (Table 2). Utah’s and DC’s average total costs are lower and higher, respectively, than the national range (Table 1) because of their lower and higher transportation costs per pupil, relative to other states. All other state estimates fall within the national range. Additional funds needed as a percentage of fiscal year 2018 per-student expenditures range from 0.3% (materials and consumables only) to 7.1% (all three categories), although only seven states had a maximum estimate >4.2% (Table 2).

Discussion

Successfully operating schools during the COVID-19 pandemic requires sufficient resources to implement and sustain effective mitigation strategies. This cost estimate for the resources needed to safely reopen and keep schools open for in-person learning found that the average school district will need to invest $55 per student for materials and consumables only. This cost increases to a maximum average of $442 per student if a school district needs or chooses to employ the maximum number of additional custodial staff members per school and add additional transportation. Costs might be lower, depending on the extent of the learning model as schools transition from virtual to hybrid or in-person learning. These estimates provide schools, districts, and other jurisdictions with the cost information necessary to budget and prioritize resources during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The findings in this report are subject to at least four limitations. First, costs related to food service operations were not included. Although some schools might incur additional costs to provide student meals, estimates might significantly vary given differences in the need for school meal programs across districts. Second, a 1-month supply of face masks for the school population was estimated and was not included as an ongoing cost for schools, based on the assumption that teachers and staff members would purchase their own masks, and schools would add masks to the student supply list. Third, costs related to social distancing within the classroom were not estimated because other resources for schools recommended by CDC (e.g., physical barriers in the classroom, such as individual student desk shields) (9) were included in the estimates. Resource needs and costs for social distancing will vary with individual school needs. Finally, although contact tracing is a primary mitigation strategy, costs for contact tracing were excluded because school districts do not bear the financial responsibility for hiring and employing contact tracers.

The benefits of schools extend beyond academic achievements and have critical implications for student health, safety, social and emotional well-being, and the economy, because in-person learning allows parents and caretakers to return to work (9). Although the list of resources identified in this analysis is not exhaustive, the cost estimates illustrate the level of resources needed to help ensure that schools both reopen and operate in the safest possible manner. In addition, this report provides cost data that can be used as a baseline for future studies examining the cost-effectiveness of mitigation strategies in school settings and those comparing costs and benefits across multiple sectors of the economy.

Corresponding author: Ketra Rice, wss1@cdc.gov.


1CDC COVID-19 Response Team.

All authors have completed and submitted the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.


* The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) provides national and state occupational employment and wage estimates each May (in the given year); the latest published estimates are provided for May 2019. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcst.htm.

Employer Costs for Employee Compensation reports are provided by BLS and provide benefit rates by industry type. https://www.bls.gov/bls/news-release/ecec.htm#2019.

§ Consumer Price Index databases are provided annually by BLS. https://www.bls.gov/cpi/data.htm.

Nonlabor material sources retrieved from U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Global Supply Catalog 2020 (https://www.gsaglobalsupply.gsa.gov/advantage/); GSA Advantage (https://www.gsaadvantage.gov/advantage) Disaster Relief and Pandemic Products Supply; School Kids Healthcare (https://www.buyemp.com/school-kids-healthcare-transition), School Health (https://www.schoolhealth.com), School Nurse Supply (https://www.schoolnursesupplyinc.com), and Amazon Marketplace (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=coronavirus).

** The Missouri Economic Research and Information Center Cost of Living Data Series provides state level cost of living indices for 2020. https://meric.mo.gov/data/cost-living-data-series.

References

  1. CDC. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) indicators for dynamic school decision-making. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/indicators.html
  2. National Center for Education Statistics. Revenues and expenditures for public elementary and secondary school districts: FY 18. Washington, DC: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics; 2020. https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2020308
  3. Hussar B, Zhang J, Hein S, et al. The condition of education 2020. NCES 2020–144. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics; 2020. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2020/2020144.pdf
  4. Leeb RT, Price S, Sliwa S, et al. COVID-19 trends among school-aged children—United States, March 1–September 19, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020;69:1410–5. CrossRef PubMed
  5. Selden TM, Berdahl TA, Fang Z. The risk of severe COVID-19 within households of school employees and school-age children. Health Aff (Millwood) 2020;39:2002–9. CrossRef PubMed
  6. Xu X, Grossetta Nardini HK, Ruger JP. Micro-costing studies in the health and medical literature: protocol for a systematic review. Syst Rev 2014;3:47. CrossRef PubMed
  7. National Forum on Education Statistics. Planning guide for maintaining school facilities. NCES 2003–347. Washington, DC: US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Forum on Education Statistics; 2003. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003347.pdf
  8. American Federation of Teachers. Reopening schools during a time of triple crisis: financial implications. Washington, DC: American Federation of Teachers; 2020. https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/reopen-schools-financial-implications.pdf
  9. CDC. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Operating schools during COVID-19: CDC’s considerations. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html
TABLE 1. Estimated national costs for selected resources needed for school-based implementation of CDC’s recommended COVID-19 mitigation strategies — United States, 2020–21 school yearReturn to your place in the text
Cost item Unit cost, USD* No. of units Total cost, USD Unit cost range, USD* Total cost range, USD
Materials and consumables
Plexiglass shield (1 per school) 74.99 98,456 7,383,215 49.50–147.75 4,873,572–19,272,762
Student desk shields (1 per student) 37.20 50,685,567 1,885,503,092 14.99–75.95 759,776,649–3,849,568,814
Reusable face shield (1 per teacher and other staff member) 4.88 6,382,813 31,148,128 1.93–17.40 12,318,829–111,060,947
Disposable face masks (1-month supply per student, teacher, and staff member) 0.31 1,141,367,601 353,823,956 0.10–1.50 114,136,760–1,712,051,402
Disposable gloves (2 pair per teacher and other staff member) 0.18 12,765,626 2,297,813 0.17–0.25 2,170,156–3,191,407
Hand sanitizer dispenser (4 units per school) 109.89 393,824 43,277,319 81.67–137.36 32,163,606–54,095,665
Hand sanitizer dispenser refills (1 refill per month per unit per school) 2.07 3,938,240 8,163,972 1.55–2.58 6,104,272–10,160,659
Hand sanitizer (1 bottle per student) 4.89 50,685,567 247,852,423 3.67–6.11 186,016,031–309,688,814
Multipurpose cleaners (180-day supply per school) 4.48 17,722,080 79,394,918 3.36–5.60 59,546,189–99,243,648
Disinfectants/Virucides (180-day supply per school) 4.99 17,722,080 88,344,569 3.74–6.24 66,280,579–110,585,779
No touch thermometer (2 per school) 59.00 196,912 11,617,808 25.99–75.99 5,117,743–14,963,343
Oximeter (2 per school) 84.99 196,912 16,735,551 15.95–199.99 3,140,746–39,380,431
Signage (1 kit of 100 hallway floor signs and 30 hallway directional arrows per school) 268.44 98,456 26,429,529 178.96–357.92 18,604,246–35,239,372
Total materials and consumables§ 2,801,972,293 1,075,901,224–12,584,162,010
Personnel
Custodian FTEs (high estimate)** 40,837 246,140 10,051,712,049 31,314–51,953 7,707,613,702–12,699,213,527
Custodian FTEs (low estimate) ** 40,837 123,070 5,025,824,797 31,314–51,953 3,853,806,851–6,349,606,764
Potential additional transportation†† 9,600,000,000 8,131,200,000–18,969,600,000
Cost per student§§
Average materials and consumables cost per student 55 21–248
Average personnel cost per student (high) 198 152–251
Average personnel cost per student (low) 99 76–125
Average potential transportation cost per student§§ 189 160–374

Abbreviations: COVID-19 = coronavirus disease 2019; FTEs = full-time equivalents; USD = U.S. dollars.
* Unit cost is the average cost per resource and the unit cost range are minimum and maximum cost values per resource derived from all material sources, retrieved from U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Global Supply Catalog (https://www.gsaglobalsupply.gsa.gov/advantage/), GSA Advantage Disaster (https://www.gsaadvantage.gov/advantage/) Disaster Relief and Pandemic Products Supply; School Kids Healthcare (https://www.buyemp.com/school-kids-healthcare-transition), School Health (https://www.schoolhealth.com), School Nurse Supply (https://www.schoolnursesupplyinc.com), and Amazon Marketplace (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=coronavirus).
Quantity of units for schools and school populations derived from school population fiscal year 2018 data published by the National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/.
§ Cost range for materials and consumables adjusted by lowest and highest state composite cost of living index. https://meric.mo.gov/data/cost-living-data-series.
Cost for personnel derived from the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage estimates (updated as of May 2019) and are inflation-adjusted to August 2020 USD using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) Databases (https://www.bls.gov/cpi/data.htm); all other costs reported in current 2020 USD.
** The high and low estimates for school custodians are 2.5 and 1.25 additional custodian FTEs per school for tier 2 cleaning needed for an estimated 10% of targeted physical areas per school (i.e., bathrooms, food service areas, and high need classrooms, including special needs classes) https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003347.pdf; https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/reopen-schools-financial-implications.pdf.
†† Costs of potential additional transportation, where needed, were estimated assuming that such costs are equivalent to 36% of national costs for student transportation. https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/reopen-schools-financial-implications.pdf.
§§ Based on national pre-kindergarten–grade 12 public student enrollment of 50,685,567 students. https://nces.ed.gov/.

TABLE 2. Estimated costs for selected resources needed for school-based implementation of CDC’s recommended COVID-19 mitigation strategies, by state — United States, 2020–21 school yearReturn to your place in the text
State No. of schools* No. of teachers/staff members* Total student enrollment* Cost, USD Pandemic costs, % increase,** range
Materials/ Consumables Custodian FTEs (low est.) Custodian FTEs (high est.) Potential additional transportation§ Avg. total cost per student, range Avg. cost per student (materials/ consumables only) FY18* expenditures per student
Alabama 1,509 71,628 742,444 36,773,905 63,369,776 126,739,552 136,505,880 319–404 50 9,717 0.5–4.2
Alaska 508 16,982 132,872 9,431,191 30,381,042 60,762,083 29,442,960 521–750 71 17,726 0.4–4.2
Arizona 2,284 103,175 1,110,851 61,469,251 111,849,022 223,698,043 136,946,520 279–380 55 8,373 0.7–4.5
Arkansas 1,088 73,658 496,085 24,187,597 46,814,518 93,629,037 68,657,040 282–376 49 10,168 0.5–3.7
California 10,303 577,836 6,304,266 497,309,250 618,835,013 1,237,670,026 638,704,080 278–377 79 12,664 0.6–3.0
Colorado 1,862 111,939 910,280 51,930,527 95,898,121 191,796,241 99,713,880 272–377 57 10,238 0.6–3.7
Connecticut 1,369 98,166 531,288 36,477,044 84,231,421 168,462,843 189,668,880 584–743 69 20,147 0.3–3.7
Delaware 223 17,098 136,293 8,114,416 11,223,913 22,447,827 37,752,480 419–501 60 15,282 0.4–3.3
District of Columbia 228 14,106 87,315 7,756,625 13,773,041 27,546,082 44,319,600 754–912 89 23,155 0.4–3.9
Florida 4,322 345,644 2,832,424 155,323,788 197,729,771 395,459,542 381,070,800 259–329 55 9,663 0.6–3.4
Georgia 2,297 224,488 1,768,642 87,993,477 97,806,719 195,613,439 323,339,040 288–343 50 10,760 0.5–3.2
Hawaii 290 22,596 180,837 19,753,419 16,819,007 33,638,014 23,746,680 334–427 109 15,242 0.7–2.8
Idaho 744 27,186 301,186 15,700,537 33,499,456 66,998,911 38,018,160 290–401 52 7,846 0.7–5.1
Illinois 4,175 260,463 2,005,153 99,427,837 221,424,361 442,848,721 506,354,760 413–523 50 15,912 0.3–3.3
Indiana 1,921 152,826 1,054,187 52,156,534 $92,649,830 185,299,660 234,095,040 359–447 49 10,033 0.5–4.5
Iowa 1,349 72,886 511,850 25,861,692 67,664,761 135,329,522 77,619,960 334–467 51 11,724 0.4–4.0
Kansas 1,320 73,271 497,088 23,769,356 61,662,744 123,325,488 81,582,480 336–460 48 11,095 0.4–4.1
Kentucky 1,541 97,712 680,978 35,461,085 71,535,339 143,070,678 148,091,760 375–480 52 11,081 0.5–4.3
Louisiana 1,390 107,600 715,135 36,963,040 54,206,386 108,412,772 170,258,760 366–441 52 11,636 0.4–3.8
Maine 611 35,241 180,473 11,492,983 33,131,047 66,262,095 48,734,640 517–701 64 15,069 0.4–4.7
Maryland 1,437 115,516 893,684 63,235,650 72,450,055 144,900,111 255,236,040 437–518 71 15,155 0.5–3.4
Massachusetts 1,862 128,291 964,791 69,173,739 118,317,113 236,634,225 282,796,200 487–610 72 18,328 0.4–3.3
Michigan 3,468 181,468 1,516,398 75,527,660 169,352,411 338,704,821 270,858,960 340–452 50 11,688 0.4–3.9
Minnesota 2,478 117,236 884,944 49,506,741 140,130,095 280,260,189 237,747,960 483–641 56 12,910 0.4–5.0
Mississippi 1,076 67,757 478,321 22,396,022 41,497,850 82,995,700 75,434,040 291–378 47 8,909 0.5–4.2
Missouri 2,424 128,938 915,472 44,686,239 117,494,068 234,988,135 191,587,680 386–515 49 11,034 0.4–4.7
Montana 823 21,329 149,474 8,940,482 41,734,659 83,469,318 29,641,320 537–817 60 11,512 0.5–7.1
Nebraska 1,085 47,292 323,766 16,609,144 53,805,991 107,611,982 43,724,880 353–519 51 12,813 0.4–4.0
Nevada 662 26,430 485,785 29,217,364 36,329,799 72,659,597 61,859,880 262–337 60 9,040 0.7–3.7
New Hampshire 490 31,981 179,433 10,712,581 25,540,197 51,080,393 48,024,360 470 –612 60 16,588 0.4–3.7
New Jersey 2,588 236,559 1,408,102 95,276,011 145,057,788 290,115,576 434,831,040 479–583 68 20,316 0.3–2.9
New Mexico 884 37,573 334,345 16,116,820 38,021,569 76,043,139 38,696,040 278–391 48 9,963 0.5–3.9
New York 4,824 372,692 2,724,663 234,815,599 302,459,976 604,919,952 1,042,712,640 580–691 86 23,686 0.4–2.9
North Carolina 2,603 190,855 1,553,513 82,013,680 111,732,994 223,465,988 218,620,080 265–337 53 9,277 0.6–3.6
North Dakota 518 17,984 111,920 5,970,395 28,284,484 56,568,967 22,965,480 511–764 53 13,783 0.4–5.5
Ohio 3,619 322,611 1,704,399 86,775,862 179,032,654 358,065,308 381,186,000 380–485 51 12,893 0.4–3.8
Oklahoma 1,800 85,914 695,092 33,314,203 76,148,280 152,296,560 64,328,040 250–360 48 8,174 0.6–4.4
Oregon 1,242 65,928 608,014 45,139,592 67,047,072 134,094,145 112,797,000 370–480 74 11,903 0.6–4.0
Pennsylvania 3,019 241,548 1,726,809 98,512,658 154,654,766 309,309,532 486,006,840 428–518 57 16,377 0.3–3.2
Rhode Island 313 19,482 142,949 9,372,034 16,918,292 33,836,583 38,119,680 451–569 66 16,954 0.4–3.4
South Carolina 1,248 78,108 777,507 41,046,461 51,721,301 103,442,602 116,117,640 269–335 53 10,705 0.5–3.1
South Dakota 698 19,543 137,823 7,595,999 32,185,705 64,371,410 18,681,120 424–658 55 10,263 0.5–6.4
Tennessee 1,859 128,469 1,001,967 49,849,862 79,092,549 158,185,099 130,509,000 259–338 50 9,599 0.5–3.5
Texas 8,826 690,078 5,401,341 273,803,482 391,623,742 783,247,483 564,675,120 228–300 51 9,670 0.5–3.1
Utah 1,033 56,146 668,274 35,796,979 45,622,342 91,244,683 54,689,400 204–272 54 7,576 0.7–3.6
Vermont 314 18,183 88,028 5,678,841 17,751,189 35,502,379 21,240,720 507–709 65 20,149 0.3–3.5
Virginia 2,133 178,550 1,291,462 72,391,508 99,604,648 199,209,295 297,275,760 363–440 56 12,224 0.5–3.6
Washington 2,427 94,882 1,110,367 68,869,580 153,215,600 306,431,200 205,493,040 385–523 62 12,985 0.5–4.0
West Virginia 744 38,452 272,266 13,906,999 34,614,395 69,228,791 86,911,560 497–625 51 11,572 0.4–5.4
Wisconsin 2,255 101,250 860,753 45,536,382 112,992,469 225,984,938 162,415,440 373–504 53 12,446 0.4–4.1
Wyoming 370 17,268 94,258 4,924,000 19,483,025 38,966,051 26,206,560 537–744 52 16,134 0.3–4.6
Total costs†† 3,014,066,119 4,998,422,363 9,996,844,725 9,436,012,920

Abbreviations: avg. = average; COVID-19 = coronavirus disease 2019; est. = estimate; FTEs = full-time equivalents; FY = fiscal year; USD = U.S. dollars.
* Number of schools, number of teachers and staff members, total student enrollment, and FY18 expenditures per student derived from school population FY18 data published by the National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/.
The high and low estimates for school custodians are 2.5 and 1.25 additional custodian FTEs per school for tier 2 cleaning needed for an estimated 10% of targeted physical areas per school (i.e., bathrooms, food service areas, and high-need classrooms, including special needs classes). https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003347.pdf; https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/reopen-schools-financial-implications.pdf.
§ Costs of potential additional transportation, where needed, were estimated assuming that such costs are equivalent to a 36% increase of FY18 state expenditures for student transportation. https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/reopen-schools-financial-implications.pdf.
Low percentage cost calculated using only the average cost per student for materials and consumables. High percentage cost calculated using high average total cost per student, which includes all three cost categories (Materials and Consumables, Custodian FTEs [high est.], and Potential additional transportation).
** Percentage increase in expenditure per student above FY18 levels.
†† Total costs for each category of state estimates fall within the national range of estimates per category. The national range uses a range of prices nationwide for that item, multiplied by the number of units nationally, adjusted by the highest and lowest nationwide cost of living index. The state estimates are specific to each state’s school population and are estimated using a combination of past year transportation expenditures, the average wage for custodians, and average price of materials in that state, with adjustments for the state-specific cost of living index.


Suggested citation for this article: Rice KL, Miller GF, Coronado F, Meltzer MI. Estimated Resource Costs for Implementation of CDC’s Recommended COVID-19 Mitigation Strategies in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 Public Schools — United States, 2020–21 School Year. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020;69:1917-1921. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6950e1.

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