The latest cuts to federal funding for public schools are hitting four of the poorest school districts in North Carolina, and more funding losses could soon be coming for other schools in low-income communities. State Superintendent Mo Green announced Thursday that late last week he received a letter from U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon notifying him that "stabilization grants" to some school districts were immediately canceled. Green said the letter ended a deadline extension that the Biden administration had given schools to finish spending down these pandemic-era grants on building repairs that were still underway. A department spokesman said the districts had faced some supply chain issues that had slowed down projects to replace windows, faulty HVAC units and other projects. Green and the State Board of Education approved a joint statement today urging McMahon to "reconsider this harmful decision" and honor the previously approved extensions. The four affected school districts are in counties that are designated by the state with Tier 1 economic distress rankings , placing them among the poorest counties in the state.
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