On Friday March 28, the United States Department of Education dropped a bombshell on school districts. Extensions to spending on COVID relief projects were terminated.
During the COVID crisis, the federal government passed legislation that provided relief funds to school districts across the country. The program specified the things the money could be used for. These included improved air filtration, improved communication and security systems, tutoring, summer programming, wheelchair accessible buses, construction of additional classroom space including outdoor learning spaces and playground equipment.
These were reimbursable grants, meaning that the school district had to spend the money first. The reimbursement would only come when the project was complete or the equipment purchased. Not every approved project was completed before the deadline set in the original legislation. So the Department of Education created a process for districts to apply for extensions. School districts in our area and across the country applied for extensions and had those extensions approved.
These extensions were canceled on March 28.
Here is a list of some of the school districts in our area that had extensions approved and will no longer receive the promised funding.
Roxbury Central School received an extension to purchase a wheelchair-accessible school bus at a cost of $175,000. There has been a long delay in the construction of school buses. The expected delivery of the bus is September 2025. This bus is vital to the district so it can safely transport all of its students to and from school.
Worcester Central School received an extension to complete a fitness trail and outdoor learning space including a large pavilion at a cost of $170,000. Its project was delayed due to the increase in the cost of goods and services which required them to complete another bid process.
Charlotte Valley Central School was awarded a late liquidation approval for $143,000. Of this amount, $132,000 was allocated for a new phone and emergency notification system. The installation of the system occurred during spring recess. Upon announcement of the funding freeze on March 28th, the district was already in the final stage of the project, not making it fiscally or contractually possible to halt the project.
Each of these school districts spent local funds on these projects or has contracts to do so. These contracts were entered into with the federal government’s guarantee that any payments made by the districts would be reimbursed through COVID relief funds extensions and that local taxpayers would not be ultimately responsible for the payments.
Now these schools have a choice. They can honor the contracts and absorb the expenses in their local budget. Doing so will be a financial burden. Or, they can cancel the contracts that they have already entered into, meaning that the planned improvements won’t happen. The COVID relief funds were designed to help school districts manage and improve their educational programs as they dealt with the impact of COVID. By canceling these extensions, the Department of Education will cause more harm to our students.
The Department of Education made a promise to school districts across the country that they would pay for these projects. It is unfathomable that they are breaking this promise.
It is encouraging to see that New York State Attorney General Letitia James, along with 15 other attorneys general have sued the federal government to restore these extensions. Our senators and representatives also need to make their voices heard. We have to let them know that this is unacceptable. Our children deserve nothing less.