Barnstable Public Schools leaders told the school committee Tuesday that federal program reviews have put some entitlement grants under temporary withholding and that the district is preparing contingency plans.

Superintendent Sarah said Title I and IDEA funds were not affected, but Title II‑A (teacher development), Title III (English learners and immigrant students) and Title IV (student support and enrichment) were under program review at the federal level and could be withheld starting July 1. She said the affected titles represent about $400,000 of the district’s grant revenue and that those dollars account for roughly 10% of the district’s overall grant funding.

“Federal grants can be spent over 27 months and, although these monies are undergoing program review at the federal level, in Barnstable we have carryover from FY '25, which is being applied this summer and into FY '26,” Sarah said. She added that the district is using carryover funds now and developing contingency plans for items that depend on the titles, notably the grants manager salary and mentor stipends funded through Title II.

Assistant Superintendent Kristen said some summer enrichment programming and extended school year services are continuing because of existing carryover funds that must be spent by the end of September; she noted 60 students were enrolled in one summer Title I program and specific extended‑year placements totaled roughly 200 across grade bands.

Business staff provided a more specific local budget context: updated Chapter 70 numbers produced an additional roughly $240,000 to the municipality, which after the town/ school split will translate to about $70,000 of new money to the schools this fiscal year once the tax rate is set in the fall, Finance staff said. That leaves a potential net district shortfall if the federal withholding persists.

Committee members pressed staff on timing and contingency options. Sarah said the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents and national groups are collecting district impacts and that there was pending litigation at the federal level; she said the state is creating a $190 million circuit‑breaker reserve for FY26 that may improve special education reimbursements statewide.

No formal action was taken; staff said they would continue using carryover funds, refine contingency plans in September if necessary, and update the committee when federal or state actions change funding availability.