Earlier this year, the Trump Administration issued wide-ranging budget cuts suggested by the Department of Government Efficiency. Many of these cuts were aimed at the arts and humanities, but now some are concerned that education could be on the receiving end.
Lisa McKinney is with the non-profit Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence in Lexington. In an interview with Eastern Standard, she said right now, one of their biggest concerns is the federal government clawing back funds that have already been allocated to schools.
“So this concern comes from two places. One is observing what Congress has already done, so earlier this year, they called a rescission vote and clawed back federal money that has been budgeted to various organizations across the U.S. and across Kentucky,” she said.
McKinney said that could severely hamper the progress some schools have been trying to make.
“There are a lot of programs going on in schools right now that are seeing really positive results and that are, in many cases, halfway through, or most of the way through their grant period,” she said. “They're at the point where they're seeing what works, what doesn't work, and trying to scale what works.”
McKinney said a vote to rescind the funds and take the money back would cut these programs off at the knees. She said the Office of Management and Budget has indicated that another rescission vote is possible this month, and this one would focus on schools.
Earlier this year, Letcher County Schools requested that the Trump Administration reconsider American Rescue Plan funds that were taken away. That request was denied.
The school system used the money to purchase new school buses after the July 2022 floods.
Hear more with Lisa McKinney later today on Eastern Standard on WEKU.
The Prichard Committee is a financial supporter of WEKU.
