HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Alabama school officials expected to receive roughly $68 million in federal grants on July 1.
Instead, they were given notice that the Department of Education is withholding those funds while it reviews school programs.
“This was concerning, to see that these title funds were going to be withheld, because it’s important for our budget planning purposes,” Huntsville City School Board President Carlos Mathews said.
The Department of Education said it’s reviewing 5 programs that are recipients of this grant money:
- Title I-C: Migrant Education
- Title II-A: Professional Development
- Title III-A: English learners
- Title IV-A: Student Support and Academic Enrichment
- Title IV-B: 21st Century Community Learning Centers
Mathews expressed concern regarding teachers’ professional development programs and the school system’s English learner programs.
“Title 3 for our English learners,” Mathews said. “Now, that does concern me quite a bit. Because we do have a lot of first-time English learners in Huntsville City Schools. And we definitely want to have the funding there to support those students.”
In a statement released to News 19, State Superintendent of Education Eric Mackey said that Congress already approved and funded these programs. He added that some schools rely on this grant money to pay their teachers or fund after-school programs. The full statement is available below.
Mathews said Huntsville City Schools has worked diligently to allocate reserved funds. He went on to say the school system is in a comfortable financial position and he does not anticipate any significant impacts from the funding delay, as long as it is brief.
“We’re trying to find ways to wean ourselves off some of the federal funds so that we can try to avoid some of the shakiness that’s going on.”
Craig Williams with Huntsville City Schools said the school system will continue monitoring the changes while moving forward with its 10-year capital plan.
State Superintendent Eric Mackey shared a full statement regarding the situation with News 19:
“Late Monday afternoon (June 30) we became aware via email from the US Department of Education (USED) that some K12 educational programs would not receive grant awards beginning July 1, pending a federal review of the programs. These are programs already approved and funded by Congress. They include programs integral to successful and supportive schools across Alabama, and districts have planned for the 2025-26 school year with an expectation that these formula-based funds would be flowing as normal. Since Congress had appropriated the money in the recent continuing resolution, we had no reason to believe otherwise.
Alabama has about $68 million held up in this review. These are funds that Congress has authorized for the 2025-26 school year to support classrooms across the state. Much of this amount is directly tied to salaries for teachers, teacher aides, and other employees. Some of the funds are tied to affordable after-school programs.
For our continued success, Alabama’s schools need consistency, reliability, and transparency in our funding streams. Lawmakers, policymakers, and our Department work together to ensure this kind of consistency, reliability, and transparency with state funds.
We are hopeful that the review period will be expedited, and funds will be released quickly. However, we look forward to working expeditiously with our colleagues in Washington as we are only weeks away from the beginning of a new school year and wish to avoid any disruption in services for our students and their families.”
Eric G. Mackey, State Superintendent of Education
It’s unclear how long this funding pause will last, but Mackey said he’s hopeful funds will be distributed before the start of the school year and looks forward to working with his colleagues in Washington.
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