BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alabama’s K-12 public schools are still waiting to learn the fate of at least $68 million in federal funding unexpectedly frozen barely a month before the start of the new school year.
District officials expected to have access to that funding on July 1, the start of the federal budget year. But an email on June 30 from the U.S. Office of Elementary and Secondary Education told Alabama officials the funds would remain unavailable pending a review. The message, reviewed by Alabama Daily News, did not explain the delay in detail and was not signed.
The pause affects multiple federal education programs – primarily those supporting teacher salaries, English language learners, professional development and afterschool and summer learning…