COLUMBIA — South Carolina school districts are in contingency planning mode after the federal government withheld millions of dollars in key grant funding that pays for after-school programs, support for English language learners and other academic efforts.
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The Congress-appropriated grants provided about $84.3 million for schools in the Palmetto State last year, part of an estimated $7 billion that's been put in limbo across the country.
A July 1 memo to districts from the S.C. Department of Education emphasizes the funding has so far only been delayed, not cancelled, but that there's a need to "prepare for all potential outcomes," including delays extending into the fall.
The impounded funding goes towards classroom-level costs in some South Carolina schools.
In the state's largest district, Greenville County, $6.2 million was slated to pay for 21 first grade teachers who help keep class sizes down, three mentors for new teachers, a coach for international teachers, four instructional coaches, tuition and books for high school students enrolled in dual-credit classes, and teaching positions in the district's GED program.
Officials there are treating the situation almost like they would a shutdown of the federal government, district spokesperson Tim Waller said. The best-case scenario is a temporary budgetary shortfall that's later funded, he said, but for now the district will reduce its spending.
Around Columbia, part of the money goes towards after-school care at 10 elementary schools in Richland Two, including on some campuses where most local students live in poverty, according to district spokesperson Darci Rush. If the district system lost its roughly $3.5 million share of the federal money, the biggest impact could be on the parents who would no longer have child care through their school, she said.
Charleston County School District staffers are currently reviewing plans on how to move forward, but nothing has been finalized. The district still plans to administer its new budget as approved May 19, and will make necessary changes if required, spokesperson Andy Pruitt said.
He added the district's finance division has a strong cash flow plan, so the timing of the grant awards — worth $4.4 million last year — likely will have minimal, if any, impact on the services the district provides students, which includes support for a growing number of students learning English.
The nationwide delay is part of an "ongoing programmatic review of education funding," according to a spokesperson for the White House's Office of Management and Budget, over concerns that the money has been "grossly misused to subsidize a radical leftwing agenda."
A spokesman for the state Education Department said it believes South Carolina districts to be "responsible stewards" of the funding.
The funding was expected to be distributed July 1 according to formalized congressional appropriations, but the process was disrupted by the Trump administration, prompting some observers to declare the move illegal. Section 3 of Article II of the Constitution requires the president to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.”
Withholding congressionally-appropriated money "raises serious questions of the president usurping Congress," said Derek Black, a constitutional law professor at the University of South Carolina's law school.
Beyond eligibility requirements, the executive branch does not have the legal discretion to withhold money that schools are entitled to, he said.
The federal funding approved by Congress makes up about 13 percent of the money South Carolina gets from the U.S. Department of Education, according to an analysis by the nonprofit Learning Policy Institute.
The state Education Department's memo asked districts to assess the potential impact of prolonged delays, and to use existing funding flexibilities to "protect critical operations."
"We are not signaling cuts or permanent reductions, but it is wise to prepare," the memo reads.
Other major federal funding streams, including funding for students in poverty, those with disabilities and the national school lunch program have not been affected.
Officials have not provided a timeline for when the funding could be released, noting that "no decisions have been made yet."
The Trump administration already has used the administration of grants to force institutions to adhere to the president's political agenda. Earlier grant cancellations, based on the administration's crackdown on diversity initiatives, stripped funding from teacher preparation programs based in an Upstate school district and multiple South Carolina colleges and universities.
That order remains in effect despite a legal challenge.
Anna B. Mitchell in Greenville and Valerie Nava in Charleston contributed to this report.