Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Finance Grants topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves December 2024 financial report and consent agenda; staff flags temporary federal funding pauses affecting projects
Summary
The Little Rock School District board approved the December 2024 financial report and passed a multi-item consent agenda. Financial staff told the board some federal competitive grant portals and awards are paused or under review, which could delay projects including electric-bus purchases and energy-efficiency work.
The Little Rock School District Board of Education approved its December 2024 financial report and a consent agenda covering personnel changes, community service learning partner applications, electronic bid posting resolution, purchasing reports, international memoranda of understanding, property donations, strategic plan goals and the staffing formula manual for 2025–26.
Kelsey Bailey, finance director, presented the December budget summary and said property-tax revenue collections were higher than projected through the first half of the fiscal year and interest income from capital investments exceeded budget. She cautioned that timing and reporting anomalies in the finance system caused some month-to-month display issues but that those would be corrected in subsequent reports.
Bailey and other staff also briefed the board on federal competitive awards and implementation work. Several large projects tied to federal programs are in a holding pattern because grant portals and federal approvals are temporarily paused; staff named the EPA Clean Bus Program and related electric-vehicle (EV) bus purchases as areas under active review. Bailey said the district has 25 EV buses in production and described a procurement value “a little over $9,000,000” for that order; she also said the district must decommission older buses to meet program rules and had completed decommissioning steps.
Bailey noted work on energy and ventilation projects tied to other federal programs and said the National Park Service funds used for window replacement at Central High had been a recurring award (several rounds totaling roughly $750,000 across cycles). Staff said they were pausing nonessential obligations tied to competitive federal awards until program portals reopen and reimbursements are confirmed.
Board members asked staff for a clearer spreadsheet showing what the district has spent and what reimbursements remain outstanding by grant; staff agreed to provide that breakdown. The board approved the December financial report and consent agenda by voice votes; both motions carried.
Why it matters: Pauses or delays in federal competitive awards can slow capital projects, energy-efficiency upgrades and bus replacements. The board will need to track reimbursements and adjust project sequencing if federal funds are delayed or reduced.
Next steps: Staff will provide a line-by-line spreadsheet of grant obligations, amounts spent and reimbursements pending; administration will pause projects when appropriate to avoid incurring unreimbursed costs.
