The federal government’s sudden clawback of tens of millions of dollars from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund has led to panic at the Mississippi Department of Education and within many local school districts.
The Sunflower County Consolidated School District has been affected, but district leaders told The Enterprise-Tocsin this week that they have the funds to absorb about $1.1 million now ineligible for liquidation.
“Thankfully, we’re one of the few districts that’s not scrambling. We’re not panicking at all, because we’re prepared,” said SCCSD Superintendent Miskia Davis.
ESSER funds were awarded to school districts across the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic. SCCSD’s award led to the $30 million bond issue that was passed in 2021 that resulted in major renovations to the county’s two high schools.
The district also participated in ESSER programs to enhance learning through the ARP Homeless program that provides extra tutoring to at-risk students.
The original deadline to have all of the funds obligated was September of 2024, according to SCCSD Director of Federal Programs Dylan Jones.
Jones said that the district requested and was awarded an extension until March 2026.
That all went away at the end of March when the Mississippi Department of Education notified districts that the federal Education Department had terminated all liquidations past March 28.
SCCSD, Jones said, had obligated all of its ESSER funds, but some were tied up in still incomplete construction projects, particularly some of the final touches on Gentry High School and Edwards High School in Ruleville.
Jones said that SCCSD received the email about the March 28 deadline on March 31.
“We got it three days afterward,” Jones said.
On April 2, Mississippi State Department of Education Superintendent Lance Evans sent a pointed letter to Linda McMahon, federal secretary of education, detailing the over $137 million that districts stand to lose across the state.
“This unexpected change creates a severe hardship for Mississippi’s students, educators, and school communities,” Evans said in the letter, which was obtained by The E-T. “The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) received approval for our liquidation extension request based on demonstrated need and thorough documentation. Mississippi has been operating in good faith under the assurance that we could access these resources through March 31, 2026, for projects already obligated by the September 30, 2024, deadline.”
Jones and Superintendent Davis credit SCCSD Business Manager Lillie Robey for keeping the Sunflower County books sound over the past five years.
“We have not had to stop any construction,” Davis said. “Our children are still being seen and receiving high-dosage tutoring.”
Some districts, Jones said, have not been as fortunate.
“Other districts are having to pause construction and pause services for students and lay off or terminate individuals who are paid by this grant,” he said. “We didn’t miss a beat, because of the financial stability Mrs. Robey has provided the district.”
This development is one of many punches SCCSD has learned to roll with over the last five years, including the pandemic, school closures, an arson at Edwards in Ruleville and last year’s test score debacle that led to erroneous scoring for students statewide.
The district still maintained its B status after all of that, and as testing is underway this spring, leaders are hoping that growth will reflect the coveted A rating next fall.
