Superintendent: Fridley has not received congressionally approved Title funds; urges community to press federal reps
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Summary
Superintendent Dr. Lewis told the school board that federal Title II-A, Title III-A and Title IV-A funds allocated to Fridley Public Schools have been withheld at the federal level and urged the community to contact members of Congress to demand release.
Fridley Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Lewis told the school board on July 15 that the district has not received congressionally approved Title II-A, Title III-A or Title IV-A funds and urged board members, staff and the community to press federal representatives to release the money.
"As of this moment, Fridley Public Schools has not received a single dollar of our federal funds allocated to us under 3 essential title programs," Dr. Lewis said during her superintendent's report. She listed the amounts the district expected: $83,158 for Title II-A (teacher and principal professional development), $59,200.90 for Title III-A (multilingual learner services) and $37,579.80 for Title IV-A (student enrichment, mental health services and school safety). Altogether she said more than $180,000 allocated to Fridley had been withheld.
Dr. Lewis said the withheld funds pose an immediate operational problem because "the funding for what's legally required has been withheld from us, but the law hasn't changed," and the district remains legally obligated to provide services to students. She described the withholding as "a moral" issue and asked community members to contact U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith and U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar.
Board members publicly supported the superintendent's call. Board member Sarah said she would continue to use her voice to press for the funds and emphasized the potential impact on the district's most vulnerable students. Another board member praised Dr. Lewis for publicly advocating on the issue.
Dr. Lewis said Fridley also serves as fiscal agent for nonpublic schools in the district and that those institutions likewise are not receiving their allocated funds. She said the district would push a public statement and distribute a video with the board's discussion and share the message with district partners.
The board did not take a formal vote on the matter during the meeting; Dr. Lewis asked the community to contact federal representatives and said the district would publicize next steps.
