Western Line School District Superintendent Lawrence Hudson says his district, which is in the Delta, has been heavily impacted by the U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s decision to halt this funding.
“We have a $1 million deficit, and we're trying to find creative ways that we can move some projects around and do some things,” he said.
ESSER funds were originally set to expire in September of 2024. Hudson says his district got approval for an extension.
“We had acknowledgement from the federal government that we had until March of 2026 to spend the funds,” he said. “We found out on March 28th that the funds ended on March 28th. So we had no notice. We had no idea that this was even coming down the pipeline.”
Hudson says the funds were being spent on infrastructure projects that would keep buildings healthier for students, in case of another pandemic.
“We used funding that was provided by the federal government as well as funds that was provided by the district to fund several projects,” he said. “We had renovations throughout the school. We had additions that was added on each of the campuses, additional classroom space that was added on each of the campuses. We upgraded AC, air infrastructure throughout the district, and we had a few projects that was left that we were planning to get done this summer.”
The government was strict in awarding ESSER funds and only permitted projects related to the COVID-19 pandemic or preventing another one, Hudson says.
“I think the biggest thing that I've gotten from the administration has been COVID is over, and there's no need for these funds moving forward without any consideration that it takes time to do these projects,” he said.
Yet, the superintendent of the Yazoo County School District, Ken Barron, says he’s seen no impact from ESSER funding cuts.
“We spent the money in the deadlines that they originally set them. We did not hope for an extension. We just did what we were supposed to do on the front end, so it had no impact on us,” he said.
In a statement, state superintendent of education Lance Evans said “The MDE shares the same level of anxiety that districts are experiencing as a result of the ED’s decision. We have requested the ED reinstate the March 31, 2026, liquidation deadline, and we believe it has a legal obligation to fulfill our request.”
