The Trump administration pulled back a total of $77 million worth of pandemic relief funding for Illinois schools, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
Schools had until last fall to allocate their remaining COVID relief funding.
At dozens of districts, the last bit of that money had been approved for projects and spent but they were still waiting for federal reimbursement. Now, the Trump administration says they won’t get it.
The Kaneland School District is now on the hook for $77,000 they were told would be covered.
“These funds had already been used to support students and staff through initiatives such as academic interventions, mental health resources, and technology upgrades,” said Jackie Bogan, the district’s assistant superintendent for business. “As a result, the district will now rely on local funds to cover these previously approved expenditures.”
Illinois State Superintendent Tony Sanders called it a “devastating blow” to the students and schools that were relying on these approved funds to provide critical services.
In total, individual Illinois school districts had $40 million that will not be reimbursed. The money was for projects ranging from HVAC replacements and transportation services to social work and adaptive equipment for students with disabilities.
The other $37 million was from the Illinois State Board of Education, which was using it for statewide programs such as new teacher mentoring and school improvement coaches along with administrative costs like auditing and evaluating those initiatives.
