LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Michigan Department of Education said $40 million of federal COVID money for public schools could be in jeopardy if the U.S. Department of Education doesn’t honor a previously approved extension to spend the money.
The Michigan Department of Education made the announcement on Monday, but then released a “clarification” the next day that the MDE had already paid school districts $24.2 million out of the $40 million.
Media sites had reported that Flint Community Schools could lose $15.6 million of COVID money, but the MDE said Tuesday that the district had already received $14.2 million of that $15.6 million. The Flint school district had used some of its federal COVID money to give each union teacher a $22,500 bonus in 2021.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, Michigan received $7.9 billion from the Education Stabilization Fund, which was set up to help school districts deal with the pandemic.
The Michigan Department of Education said that $40 million was still in jeopardy because the federal government was no longer honoring a previously approved extension to spend the federal money.
“Without a reversal from the U.S. Department of Education, the districts may not be paid the remaining approximately $17.8 million for which they haven’t already been paid. In addition, MDE would stand to lose $5 million in administrative costs,” the MDE stated in a press release.
Linda McMahon, the U.S. Secretary of Education, sent a March 28 letter to states telling them it was not honoring a previous deadline approved by the Joe Biden administration.
“A federal agency ‘may approve extensions’ if the agency, in its discretion, finds that such an extension is ‘justified,'” the letter stated. “The Department has concluded that the further extension of the liquidation period for the aforementioned grants, already well past the period of performance, was not justified. You and your subrecipients have had ample time to liquidate obligations.”