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Classes may not have started yet, but school districts both in Charlotte County and around the country find themselves facing some potentially uncomfortable decisions. Billions of dollars in federal grants were frozen on July 1, money that funds everything from afterschool programs to remediation and special education needs. Now districts have to decide what they can afford to offer, while trying to understand if this money is ever coming back. 

July 1 is the start of the new fiscal year for school districts. As a result, that’s also when they get federal grant funding, money they have already applied for and had that application approved. 

The federal government sends the money to the states and the states in turn send it to the respective school districts. Instead of the money this time, on July 1 state governments got an email from the U.S. Department of Education saying that “decisions (had) not been made” if the grants should be approved this year. However those federal grants are allocated each year by Congress, which had already taken a vote to authorize them. That was part of the ‘Big Beautiful’ budget bill, which President Donald Trump officially signed into law earlier this month. So it wasn’t a case of decisions not being made. 

Since that first email, the federal Department of Education has informed states the grants are being held back, pending a review. However, it hasn’t been said how long the review could take or even what’s being examined. As a result, school districts have to figure out what they’re going to do when students arrive in a couple of weeks. 

What’s being cut? 

Five grants were part of the $6.8 billion freeze. There is Title IV, Part A, which is funding for student support and enrichment programs such as afterschool programs; Title IV, Part B, which is funding to help build 21st-century learning centers and Title II, Part A, which includes grants for educator development and helps pay for classroom size reduction efforts. These are the programs which impacted the most schools both in this region and across the country. The other two grants are what some educators believe triggered the review, due to the administration’s focus on although again it’s unclear why they couldn’t have been pulled out on their own. 

The final two grants are Title I, Part C, which is funding for migrant education and Title III, Part A, which funds programs for those who have English as a second language. The total for all five adds up to $6.2 billion. The remaining $600 million comes from money set aside for adult learner programs. 

The problem is twofold. First, there’s the money that was budgeted, which now isn’t there. Second, there’s been no clear response either saying yes, eventually the money will get there or no, this is permanently going away. Without that, it’s hard for districts to make decisions. Do they eliminate programs that were funded by federal dollars and fire the teachers they hired? What if the money shows up in a month or two? Or do they continue on as if everything was normal, only to face shortfalls when the money doesn’t arrive? 

How will this impact Charlotte County schools?

On the local level, the freeze affects several programs in Charlotte County schools. Charlotte County Superintendent Robbie Mason points out that Title II, Part A money pays for the salary and benefits for one full Charlotte teacher and then one-fourth of another salary, as part of the classroom size reduction portion. And then there’s the Title IV, Part A grant. 

“Title IV, Part A funds our after-school remediation program for middle and high school students,” Mason said. In other words, it helps students who are struggling catch up to the rest of the class. That money also pays for one-half of a salary. 

The Title IV, Part B grant also has an impact in Charlotte, as it covers well-known after-school enrichment programs at Central Middle and Bacon District. Those have both been around for quite a while, helping students learn. 

“Without this funding, these programs would not be possible moving forward,” Mason said. 

And then there’s the money from the Title V, Part B grant. 

“(That) funds a variety of supplemental instructional programs that are very important components of our classroom instruction,” Mason said. “These funds also pay for many costs associated with conferences that our teachers and other staff attend.” 

If the school district didn’t have these funds, they would either have to try and request it from the county or cut back on the programs and teachers this money pays for. It’s worth noting that with these programs in place, this rural school district has repeatedly placed in the state’s Top 20 when it comes to test scores and student achievement.
Again, there’s been no definite answer from the federal government, so it’s not guaranteed the money is permanently gone. But it’s also not guaranteed to show up. Mason said the district will do their best to keep everything moving forward. 

“As you can see, we are very dependent upon federal funds, as are most rural school divisions,” Mason said. 

Looking across the region, multiple districts are impacted by this. Across Congressional District 5, represented in Congress by John McGuire, there’s a total of $8.723 million at risk. That’s $4.679 million from the Title II, Part A grant; $475,000 from the Title III, Part grant; $2.263 million from Title IV, Part A and $1.306 million from Title IV, Part B. 

District 5 stretches from Charlottesville all the way to Southside, including all of the counties in this region, from Buckingham, Cumberland and Prince Edward to Lunenburg and Charlotte. 

What happens next? 

On a state level, this is going to a lawsuit. A total of 24 states and the District of Columbia have filed to challenge the freeze, demanding that the money be released. Virginia is not one of those states, as Attorney General Jason Miyares declined to join the lawsuit.