In this age of COVID-19, it’s a big and expensive job outfitting a school district the size of Volusia’s – 61,000 students, 7,700 employees and 4,200 classrooms – with personal protective equipment (PPE).

Volusia County Approves Personal Protective Equipment Budget for Schools

In October, the school district got a little help from a friend – the Volusia County Council. The council unanimously approved allocating $1.25 million of the county’s share of federal coronavirus relief funds to the school district to help it pay for needed PPE gear for the rest of the school year – things like face masks and shields, disposable gloves, hand sanitizer and disposable wipes.

The personal gear and cleaners are needed to continually clean and disinfect school facilities and protect against the spread of the coronavirus. “We are going through it quickly,” School Board member Linda Cuthbert told council members.

The $1.25 million the County Council approved will help with the costs for all of that PPE equipment, estimated to be approximately $4.6 million for the entire school year. Both governments already collaborate on a wide range of other issues that include emergency shelters, public safety and use of school buses.

For his part, County Manager George Recktenwald said the partnership between the county and school district is strong. “They’ve been a partner with us in other endeavors,” Recktenwald said.