Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, announced Monday that more than $121 million in American Rescue Plan funding is making its way to eastern Connecticut schools through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) program.

Eastern Connecticut K-12 school districts are set to receive $121.2 million in ESSER funding, according to the final allocations released by the Connecticut State Department of Education. New London and Norwich School Districts will receive awards of $16.5 million, and $16.4 million, respectively. The full list is available here.

The funding can be used to help schools take steps recommended by the Centers or Disease Control and Prevention to ensure students and educators can both return to school, and keep schools open for classroom learning safely. Schools must reserve at least 20% of funding—a total of $24.3 million—to address learning loss.

“The American Rescue Plan is continuing to fuel eastern Connecticut’s economic recovery, and it’s going to help our schools stay open and get kids back on track as we move ahead,” Courtney said in a statement. “Keeping our schools open and our teachers and kids safe is in the first row of priorities when it comes to getting life back to normal, and the American Rescue Plan is re-supplying our local public schools with more than $121 million in relief aid.

This new support comes in addition to the more than $59 million in federal ESSER funding for eastern Connecticut schools authorized by H.R. 133, which Courtney announced on February 1.