The Trump administration froze $4.2 million for Cumberland County Schools as part of broader cuts to education spending.
Federal officials have said the funds are being reviewed by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget to ensure they align with the Trump administration’s priorities. Democratic lawmakers and top state prosecutors have argued withholding the funds is illegal because Congress already approved the spending.
On July 14, North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson joined 24 states in suing the Trump administration for withholding the funds. Ten Republican senators joined Democrats across the country to push back against the freeze.
“Public schools across North Carolina, especially in rural areas, need this money to keep teachers in the classroom and keep kids safe while they learn,” Jackson said. “It’s unlawful and unconstitutional for the Department of Education to withhold money that Congress has appropriated.”
The frozen grants are part of $165 million for public education in North Carolina and $6.8 billion in the country that the Trump administration withheld on June 30, a day before the funds were expected to reach the states. They cover a variety of programs that benefit public schools, including for professional development, migrant education, academic enrichment, before- and after-school programs and English learning programs. In North Carolina, 1,000 educators will lose their jobs if the funds are not released, Jackson’s office said.
Cumberland County Schools stands to lose $4.2 million, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. That’s 11% of CCS’s $37 million in annual federal funding, Associate Superintendent Lindsay Whitley said, speaking on behalf of the school district and Board of Education Chair Deanna Jones.
“These federal funds are critical to supporting teaching and learning, as well as other essential district functions,” Whitley told CityView on Friday. He said CCS is “actively assessing potential impacts if these funds are not released soon.”
The Trump administration said Friday it would release a portion of the withheld funding for one of the grant programs, the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, but Cumberland County Schools was not expected to receive anything from that grant, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. The program funds being released accounts for $35.7 million of the $165 million in withheld funding, The News & Observer reported Friday.
Whitley said CCS has not made any changes to operations yet as a result of the funding freeze, but the school system is closely monitoring the situation.
“In the short term, district administrators are proactively exploring internal budget adjustments and, if necessary, limited use of the fund balance to help minimize disruption while we await further updates,” Whitley said. “We remain hopeful that the funds will be released soon and are committed to minimizing any impact on students and district operations.”
Government accountability reporter Evey Weisblat can be reached at eweisblat@cityviewnc.com or 216-527-3608.
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