Lenoir County schools face setback after federal COVID funding revoked
Lenoir County Public Schools (LCPS) is among four North Carolina districts impacted by a recent decision from the U.S. Department of Education to revoke previously approved extensions for spending federal COVID-19 relief funds — a move that could halt a major infrastructure project.
LCPS had planned to use nearly $1 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to replace the roof of a school facility. The district had already applied for and received federal approval for an extension to use the funds.
“LCPS applied, and was approved for, an extension of approximately $990,000,” said LCPS Public Information Officer Rebecca McGann. “With the DOE's decision, we would not be getting any of those funds.”
The change comes after U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon issued a letter on March 28 announcing the termination of all remaining deadline extensions for the liquidation of ESSER funds. The new deadline to spend the funds is March 28, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. ET — significantly earlier than the previously approved timeline.
The Department had previously approved extensions allowing districts more time to spend funds, but McMahon wrote that the decision had been reconsidered. The new deadline to fully liquidate remaining obligations was March 28, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. ET. The letter stated that any reliance on prior approvals was not justified, as the extensions were granted at the Department’s discretion.
“You were entitled to the full award only if you liquidated all financial obligations within 120 days of the end of the period of performance,” McMahon wrote. “You failed to do so.”
North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Mo Green criticized the move, calling it disruptive and damaging to school districts operating under previously approved timelines.
“Our students’ education should not be jeopardized by an arbitrary deadline change when districts have been operating in good faith under approved timelines,” Green said in a statement. “These districts will now face potential cancellation of projects or, worse, will not have the resources to pay the bills for work already done.”
Green said the reversal affects four North Carolina school districts — Halifax, Lenoir, Richmond and Robeson — which had collectively planned to use more than $17 million in remaining ESSER funds.
Although the Department of Education has left open the possibility of granting extensions for individual projects, districts must now submit justification for each request, outlining how the project mitigates the effects of COVID-19 on students and why an extension is warranted. For now, LCPS officials say they will seek available options to fund the roofing project. Whether additional funding will be granted remains unclear.
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