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Elkhart superintendent: $1.2 million in federal Title funds is being withheld; board to get fiscal analysis July 22
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Hough told the Elkhart Community Schools board that roughly $1.2 million in Title II, III and IV federal funds—allocated for professional development, ELL supports, translation services and STEM—are under federal review and currently withheld; the district plans a policy‑analytics presentation at the July 22 meeting.
Elkhart Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Hough told the board on July 8 that about $1.2 million in federal funds the district expected to receive on July 1 are currently under review at the federal level and temporarily withheld.
“These funds typically pay for professional development. They typically pay for a few of our staff members who are in those line items, and also they support our… ELL learners. They support our translation services. They support our STEM initiatives,” Dr. Hough said. He described the withholding as a significant complication for district budgeting and operations.
Dr. Hough said the $1.2 million figure is cumulative over a two‑year period and that the pause affects Title II, Title III and Title IV funding streams. He said the district will not change its commitment to serving students but warned the withheld funds will “have huge ramifications on certain services that we provide.” He also said the central office will have eight fewer administrators in the coming year as part of earlier decisions to reduce central‑office staffing.
The superintendent urged the public and trustees to attend a July 22 work session and board meeting, where a policy‑analytics presentation will explain how converging funding changes and declining enrollment affect the district’s fiscal choices. “I think that will be very eye opening,” Dr. Hough said.
At the meeting, President Scott asked for confirmation that the $1.2 million total covered the three federal titles and Dr. Hough confirmed the amount is over a two‑year period and that the allocations were previously approved at the federal level before being paused. Dr. Hough said the district had already planned to use those dollars and is reviewing implications while awaiting federal resolution.
No board vote or directive to alter programmatic services was taken during the July 8 meeting; the district scheduled further analysis for the July 22 meeting.
