Special to IFN
RALEIGH – N.C. Attorney General Jeff Jackson is suing the U.S. Department of Education for unlawfully terminating nearly $50 million in federal education funding for North Carolina public schools, most of it serving rural and low-income communities.
The funding was awarded through the federal Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) program and was already being used by schools across North Carolina to support approximately 23,000 students, including in counties heavily impacted by Hurricane Helene.
On December 12, the Department of Education notified North Carolina that these grants would be terminated effective December 31. If allowed to stand, this will force schools to shut down programs and potentially lay off staff in the middle of the school year.
“Our kids deserve better. A surprise cut of nearly $50 million from rural schools, with virtually no notice and no allegation of misuse, is unlawful and harmful,” Jackson said. “The Department of Education approved these programs, allowed schools to build them, and now it’s trying to pull the rug out from under dozens of rural communities. Our students shouldn’t be treated like that, and we’re going to court to protect them.”
Congress authorized and funded the Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) Program through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Every Student Succeeds Act to support schools serving communities with high poverty, poor health outcomes, and lower educational attainment. In 2023, the Department of Education awarded more than $49.8 million through this program to the North Carolina Community Schools Coalition, which includes the Department of Public Instruction. Over five years, the coalition planned to serve 55 schools across 18 North Carolina public school districts.
The grants support students in rural and under-resourced areas by expanding learning opportunities, addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) that affect student development and success, strengthening and retaining effective elementary and middle school educators, and improving student achievement. They also fund early childhood education and literacy initiatives, family programming, and college and career exposure opportunities, including college tours and presentations from trade programs.
The FSCS program is designed to give schools local control so they can respond to the real needs of their students and communities. Rural districts face different challenges, and this flexibility allows schools to decide how best to support students — whether that means addressing food insecurity, expanding after-school programs, providing health or mental health services, or helping families stay housed.
That flexibility is especially critical during emergencies. After Hurricane Helene, schools used these funds to help families secure temporary housing and transportation so students could remain connected to school during a period of extreme disruption.
Despite its abrupt termination, the Department of Education had previously reviewed and approved how this funding would be used when the grants were awarded.
Under federal law, multi-year grants like these can only be terminated for performance-based reasons.