MARYLAND NEWS – Maryland faces $232.1 million loss in federal funding for state schools

Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer

The good news is that the Maryland’s schools was initially going to lose $418 million in federal funding lost last month when federal officials abruptly announced that they would be rescinding pandemic recovery funding. Instead, these cuts could lead to a $232.1 million deficit for Maryland state schools. This issue first arose when school officials received a letter last month from the U.S. Department of Education, informing the state that the Trump administration would cancel Biden administration extensions that would have given schools until next year to spend down any remaining COVID-19 recovery funds. The letter from the U.S. Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, came in an email on Friday, March 28th at 5pm, which announced that the cancellation would take effect immediately. 

It said the federal department would consider reimbursing states, but only under narrow provisions. Maryland State Superintendent Carey Wright said, “This took us off guard, needless to say, at five o’clock on a Friday.” State officials estimated that as much as $418 million could be at stake for state schools, and the number has now fallen closer to $232.1 million.