The latest cuts to federal funding for public schools are hitting four of the poorest school districts in North Carolina, and more funding losses could soon be coming for other schools in low-income communities.
State Superintendent Mo Green announced Thursday that late last week he received a notifying him that "stabilization grants" to some school districts were immediately canceled.
Green said the letter ended a deadline extension that the Biden administration had given schools to finish spending down these pandemic-era grants on building repairs that were still underway.
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction confirmed those grants were being used for school construction projects at these districts:
- $14.6 million to Robeson County Schools
- $1.3 million to Richmond County Schools
- $886,000 to Halifax County Schools
- $252,000 to Lenoir County Schools
A department spokesman said the districts had faced some supply chain issues that had slowed down projects to replace windows, faulty HVAC units and other projects.
Green and the State Board of Education approved a today urging McMahon to "reconsider this harmful decision" and honor the previously approved extensions.
The four affected school districts are in counties that are designated by the state with , placing them among the poorest counties in the state.
Latest Trump administration announcement targets thousands of NC schools in low-income communities
Meanwhile, McMahon sent another letter today to state education officials nationwide threatening to end Title 1 funding for schools in low-income communities unless they end any diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
There are 1,669 North Carolina public schools eligible for Title 1 federal funding based on the high percentage of low-income students served by the school. That's based on a from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. The figure includes both charter schools and traditional public schools.
Green has not yet released a public statement responding to this latest announcement from the U.S. Department of Education.
In another recent statement, Green said North Carolina schools receive more than $1 billion in federal funding, and those funds help pay the salaries of more than 14,000 North Carolina educators.
