MCS considers impact of potential federal funding disruptions

by Sara Swanson

We reported in October that the school district had received five grants funding literacy, anti-bullying and violence, behavioral interventions, new electric buses, and computer science. You may be wondering with all of the federal funding freezes in the news if any of this funding was affected. They weren’t, but that doesn’t mean the school is in the clear.

Shannon Cajic, Chief Financial Officer for Manchester Community Schools, explained that all of those grants are state grants, although one called Stronger Connections (addressing bullying and violence) was actually federal funds via state, but that one is now completed, so no federal funding gaps will affect any of these grants. However, federal funding has been on the forefront of the district’s discussions lately because of the current federal administration’s actions so far. She stated, “Our District’s projected federal funds equal approximately 2.3% of our current revenues, so the impact to the district’s general fund operating revenues if federal funds are completely dismantled and removed would approximately be $257,676 of our General Fund. I am hopeful this type of funding disruption does not happen, but understanding the worst-case scenario is important for consideration. Federal funds for our district are things like our Title I, Title II, Title III, Title IV, and our IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) programs. These programs are important because they target some of our highest-need student populations for additional supports, and this would be a devastating loss for everyone.”

Part of the stress is that it’s not clear what exactly will be be affected in the event of the loss of federal funding. Cajic continued, “Our food-service fund and programming could be deeply impacted in the event of a federal funding disruption as well, but I have been reading that these funds might not be included in all of this. Our food-service federal funding is typically around 39% of our food-service program revenue stream. This particular funding passes through the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture), so it is run through a different department. essentially, and I believe it is also tied to the Farm Bill.”

SRSLY Manchester, based out of the school buildings and providing supplementary mental health support for students in addition to working to decrease substance use, also receives federal funding. They are currently a year and a half into a five-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cajic concluded, “This executive order has created a lot of fear, confusion, and anxiety for everyone involved, and not many answers, just more questions. Since this freeze was ultimately blocked, not much new information has been released, but we are all keeping our eyes and ears open.”

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.