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U.S. Education Department review leaves Alexander schools without 2025–26 federal allotments, officials say
Summary
Alexander County Schools officials told the Board of Education on July 14 that the U.S. Department of Education is reviewing federal funding decisions and the district currently does not have confirmed federal allotments for the 2025–26 school year.
Alexander County Schools officials told the Board of Education on July 14 that the U.S. Department of Education is reviewing federal funding decisions and the district currently does not have confirmed federal allotments for the 2025–26 school year.
Chief Financial Officer Sharon Mahaffey opened the briefing by saying, “on June 30, the U.S. Department of Education issued a notice that due to the change in administration, it is currently reviewing federal funding decisions for several of the funding sources.” She added that “we do not have an allotment for the 2526 school year.”
Why it matters: the district uses federal allotments to fund multiple positions and programs. Mahaffey said the district has carryover funds that can be used in the near term but warned that longer delays could reduce program funding and staffing. “As a superintendent I hope that things are thought through…those monies are real and they have real impacts on our county and they’ll impact our school system,” Superintendent Bill Griffin said during the same exchange.
Griffin told the board a lawsuit has been filed in response to an injunction affecting the funds. “There is currently a lawsuit that’s being filed, against this injunction, by Jeff Jackson,” he said. Board members and staff referenced statewide concern; the meeting transcript records a district figure of roughly $169 million withheld statewide as the broader context for the district’s shortfall, which district speakers said illustrates the scale of the review.
District officials emphasized that the immediate operational effect is limited by existing carryover funds but warned of possible longer-term impacts if the review continues. Mahaffey said she could not provide a timeline for when a final allotment decision might come.
The board did not take formal action on the item at the July 14 meeting; chief financial staff and the superintendent said they would provide updates as more information becomes available.
