Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) Superintendent Dr. Brian Yearwood sent the following letter to Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul as well as Representatives Brett Guthrie and Morgan McGarvey regarding federal funds being withheld by the U.S. Department of Education and the Office for Management and Budget.
As I am sure you are aware, our school district, along with every other district across the nation, was recently notified that various federal funds duly appropriated by Congress are being withheld by the U.S. Department of Education and the Office of Management and Budget. For Jefferson County Public Schools and its nearly 100,000 students, this includes more than $11 million in Title II, Title III, and Title IV-A funds that serve the students in our community in most desperate need of resources. Kentucky as a whole faces the loss of $87 million, which will negatively affect every one of our 650,000 or so students. As a result, I strongly urge you to contact Secretary McMahon and Director Vought to request the normal release of these funds as appropriated by Congress.
For nearly 25 years, since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act, the federal government has mandated high standards and expected outcomes in our public schools. But with those goals come certain responsibilities – notably, the responsibility to adequately fund the programs to make those goals achievable. This recent action by USED endangers the progress that our district has made in recent years.
These funds cover such programs as:
· Teacher and School Leader Development: This includes professional development and training for all educators, support for new teachers and aspiring leaders, teacher recruitment and retention initiatives, and specialized training to improve instruction in math and literacy. There is no more important resource for our students than a top-notch classroom teacher, and these funds give those teachers the support they need to perform at a high level.
· Multilingual Learner Supports: This affects staffing for English Language Development instruction – a key component of federal requirement – along with essential resources and curriculum, technology for progress monitoring, professional development for educators of multilingual learners, and crucial family and community engagement programs. This is a significant and growing demographic in our school district, and their success is crucial to our district’s and community’s success.
· Well-Rounded Education and Student Enrichment: This impacts specialized staff positions (e.g., in arts, health, world languages), direct funding for school-based programs in these areas, and support for academic innovation. We cannot expect our graduates to contribute meaningfully to society without the skills these funds help provide.
In total, 23 positions in our district are fully or partially covered by these federal funds, and every employee is impacted by the training and innovation funds that help improve the quality of instruction and student services. This includes such programs as LETRS training to ensure research-backed literacy instruction for every student, high-quality instructional resources that align with our science curriculum, and resources for parental engagement.
To reiterate, even without these funds, federal law sets the expectation that all school districts will properly educate our students and prepare them for the world beyond school. This is an additional financial burden on our district when we are already facing budget cuts without affecting instruction and student services.
Despite what you might hear elsewhere, time is of the essence. School districts cannot merely cover the current shortfall in the expectation that federal funds will be approved later. First, there is no guarantee that the funds will indeed be approved without your intervention, and second, Kentucky schools are rapidly reaching the low point in their annual cash flow cycles at a time when many of us are already trimming our budgets. The threat of even delayed funding will mean cuts to critical instructional programs and resources upon which our students rely.
Finally, our Constitution designates the legislative branch as the appropriator of funds, and Congress has seen the merit of each of these programs by funding them. President Trump further approved of this funding when signing the bill into law on March 15. It is wrong for unelected members of the executive branch to withhold these funds.
Your support for the children of Jefferson County is appreciated. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have.
Sincerely,
Dr. H. Brian Yearwood