Denita Dowell-Reavis
At a meeting on Monday, Alexander County Schools Finance Assistant Andrea Robinette made the Board of Education aware that based on a memo from the federal government dated June 30th, Alexander County Schools stands to lose $428,866 in federal funding.
North Carolina’s Attorney General announced July 14 that the state is joining 24 other states to sue the federal government to unfreeze the money. The district has some carry over money in the budget to help in the short term. Robinette advised the board that the district has been given no indication from the federal government how long the funding freeze will last or if it will be made permanent. The federal government has said it wants to review programs before releasing the money. Those include funds to support English language learners and potentially some teaching positions.
he state school superintendent Mo Greene says, “I support efforts, including this nationwide lawsuit, to resolve this situation quickly and ensure that North Carolina students receive the support they need and deserve and that our federal government agreed to provide them.”
Some of the programs that the federal government put on hold are required by federal law and have been enacted by Congress.
In closed session, board members approved a number of hires and shifts for the school year ahead. In particular, they approved the return of Tyler Tomlin as the assistant principal to be shared between Bethlehem Elementary and Hiddenite Elementary. Tomlin was part of the district until June 2024 when he went to Iredell County to be an assistant principal. Tomlin returns for his 13th year in education with his last four years in administration. Prior to that he served as a math, science, and PE teacher.