The White House and Senate Republicans are developing plans to prod schools to reopen by attaching incentives or conditions to tens of billions of dollars of new aid as part of the next coronavirus relief bill, people involved in the talks said Wednesday.

The deliberations come as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) prepares to unveil legislation next week that would serve as the GOP’s opening offer for negotiations on what could be Congress’s last major coronavirus spending bill before the November elections…

GOP lawmakers and administration officials are also debating how to use the legislation to encourage schools to reopen, which is an increasing area of focus for President Trump and Vice President Pence. They argue that children are far better off, academically and emotionally, when they are physically present in school. Many parents cannot go to work if their children are at home. Some observers also see a political imperative for Trump to portray the country as recovering from the coronavirus crisis.