Carson City schools outline contingency plans as multiple federal grants remain frozen

Carson City School District officials briefed the Board of Trustees on uncertainties in federal grant funding and described steps taken to keep programs running as the district awaits final awards.

The presentation, led by grants staff Spencer and Cassie, explained that while Title I funds were unfrozen and expected to continue, other federal programs — including Title III, certain Title II-A/immigrant allocations and Title IV-A — remained frozen at the time of the July workshop. "Title 1 has been reviewed and is back on," Spencer said, adding that his "crystal ball is very cloudy" about the other grants.

The report said district grants staff have been able to use unobligated FY25 funds and reclassify some positions so services carry through Sept. 30, the end of the federal fiscal year. For frozen programs the district has rearranged expenditures, purchased materials in prior years where possible (examples cited included an online language platform and museum passes), and moved some positions to other funding sources. Staff emphasized these were contingency measures, not permanent restorations of funding.

Why this matters: frozen awards could force Carson City to shift personnel and recurring costs into the general fund. The grants presentation identified roughly 2.2…