Robeson County board adopts resolution asking USDOE to restore $14.3 million in rescinded ESSER 3 funds

The Board of Education for the Public Schools of Robeson County unanimously approved a resolution on May 20, 2025, asking the U.S. Department of Education to reinstate $14,328,382.10 in ESSER 3 funds that the board says were previously approved and later rescinded. The resolution, moved by Dr. Manuel and seconded by Henry Brewer, directs the superintendent and legal counsel to pursue administrative and legal remedies and to deliver the board's position to state and federal officials.

The resolution matters because the district says the rescission threatens several ongoing health-and-safety projects that were slated to be paid with ESSER 3 funds, including HVAC replacement at Lumberton Senior High School, modular multipurpose classrooms at Saint Paul's and Purnell Swett High Schools, and window replacements at Oxendine, Pembroke and Saint Paul's elementary schools. The board said those projects address ventilation, asbestos abatement and other environmental-health issues identified while work was underway.

Board legal counsel Richard Schwartz described a complex legal backdrop during the meeting: “There are a lot of moving parts and moving pieces in this whole mess,” he said, and outlined the district's effort to…