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District says withheld federal Title funds have been released; staff urge caution for future appropriations
Summary
Superintendent and staff told the committee federal grants that had been temporarily paused were released to Kansas and the district has begun the administrative process to draw them down; staff cautioned districts to plan for possible future funding uncertainty.
Superintendent (Doctor) Schumacher told the committee that funds Congress had previously appropriated and that had been paused were released to the Kansas State Department of Education and the district has received those funds. "I would just publicly state that we are thankful for our representatives. I believe that they did advocate on our behalf and on behalf of public schools in the state of Kansas," Schumacher said, noting the Department of Education asked the Office of Management and Budget to release the funds and KSDE in turn released them to districts.
Schumacher and Russell M. described how the district uses federal funds and the operational implications. Schumacher said the monies were already budgeted into current-year plans; the district must still draw funds on a cost-reimbursement basis through KSDE. He cautioned the committee that while the immediate pause had been resolved, districts should plan conservatively because future appropriations remain subject to congressional actions. "We need to be prepared for this to not be a one off," Schumacher said.
Programs and amounts discussed: staff identified that the paused funds were not the IDEA (special education, often called 6(b)) allocations, which were not impacted; the paused items included allocations under Title II-A (professional development and recruitment/retention), Title III, and Title IV among others. Committee members and staff said the aggregate of district federal programs (title funds plus IDEA and others) represents material staffing and program support; testimony referenced roughly a $12,000,000 annual reliance for federally related positions and programs that supplement state and local dollars, and that the district typically operates with about 12'$14 million in special-education-related transfers from the supplemental general fund to cover gaps between program costs and state/federal aid.
KSDE and district process: staff explained federal grants are drawn on a cost-reimbursement basis; the district submits monthly justifications to KSDE, which then submits to the federal Department of Education. Staff described a months-long administrative process; at one point the district was asked repeatedly for different versions of justification for payroll-related draws while funds were paused.
Staff recognition: Schumacher publicly thanked the district staff managing federal funds, naming Rebecca Schneblin, Britney Gonzer and Christy Darby for their work during an extensive audit and during the funding pause.
No formal committee action was taken; staff said they will continue to monitor allocations and keep the committee informed.
