A sudden change in funding has caught many schools off guard, as tens of millions of dollars they expected from the American Rescue Plan and Coronavirus Response & Relief Supplemental Appropriations are now being pulled back.
Local 4 has been speaking with education leaders about the potential effects of this decision and how they are coping with the unexpected loss.
The deputy superintendent at Pontiac Schools, Alisa Berry-Brown, expressed her disbelief at the situation.
“As crazy as it sounds, we consider ourselves lucky because our pre-approved project only totaled $28,000. Still, that’s a lot of money we’re out, and now we’re actively trying to figure out how to make it up,” she said.
Berry-Brown described the shock of losing allocated funds.
“It’s very shocking that money that’s been allocated can just go away like that. It just doesn’t make sense to me,” said Berry-Brown.
Pontiac Schools had everything lined up for an HVAC system upgrade in one of their K-8 buildings, which the U.S. Department of Education had pre-approved at a cost of $28,000.
“As most people know, River Rouge has very low air quality. We wanted to make sure that we were getting an HVAC system to make sure our students had the proper ventilation,” Berry-Brown said.
The district had until March 2026 to submit for reimbursement from the Department of Education—until they didn’t.
On Friday (March 28), Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent a letter after hours, informing districts across the country that the deadline to submit was that very day.
“It was very off-putting,” said Tiffany Tilley, co-vice president of Michigan’s State Board of Education.
Tilley noted that the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of proper school ventilation.
“One of the things we found during COVID is that ventilation was a huge issue that needed to be fixed.”
Now, 27 districts throughout the state that had updates pre-approved for federal reimbursement are facing significant financial losses, with many already having started work or entered into contracts.
“I believe this is the first of many budget cuts,” Berry-Brown said. “What the depth and breadth of that impact will look like, I’m not sure yet.”
She emphasized that this issue goes beyond just having warm classrooms in the winter or air conditioning in the summer, as students with medical conditions like asthma also need safe environments to learn in.
“I say that this is a very nonpartisan issue; it doesn’t matter what side of the aisle you’re on, children deserve to have safe environments to learn in, and infrastructure plays a big part on that safety,” Tilley said.
Seven of the districts impacted are in SE Michigan. We reached out to every one of them, and Dr. Kimberly Leverette, Interim Superintendent of Pontiac Schools, shared her concerns about the funding cuts.
“We were counting on a $3.3 million reimbursement from the Department of Education for projects we’ve already completed and paid for. We are currently in the process of submitting for reimbursement on those projects. The lack of warning of this change is unduly distressing for all involved and has caused significant financial strain and concern over necessities and critical resources that we were assured had been approved.”
Interim Superintendent Pontiac Schools Dr. Kimberly Leverette
