PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Pinellas County Schools is grappling with a multi-million dollar puzzle piece just weeks before the start of the school year after a federal funding freeze.
“People might think that in a $1.6 billion budget, what’s $9 million?” said Pinellas County School Board Chair Laura Hine. “But you know what? It’s $9 million.”
District leaders said federal education grants, totaling $9 million for Pinellas County Schools and about $400 million for the state of Florida, were unexpectedly frozen on June 30. That’s right before their new fiscal year began on July 1.
“We certainly hope that they’re unfrozen,” Hine said. “That would be the ideal situation.”
WATCH: Pinellas County Schools dealing with $9 million federal funding freeze
The district provided ABC Action News a list of potential impacts, saying if certain funding stopped, it could lose critical student support staff, like school psychologists and social workers and the ability to provide free after-school and summer programming for over 350 families.
1 Impact of Federal Funding Freeze in PCS by ABC Action News on Scribd
“I think the hard part is the uncertainty,” said Hine. “We really need to think we might not get this money, and so therefore, we need to look at the most crucial programs that are funded by this money and figure out if there are other ways that we can fund that.”
ABC Action News asked Hine to weigh in if people are concerned that losing $9 million could mean layoffs or teacher and support staff cuts.
“We have a specific breakdown of what this $9 million has funded in the recent years and what’s planned to fund for this year. That represents in people terms about 47 positions,” said Hine. “Now, we have every intention of finding a place for those folks if this funding does not get unfrozen, so I don’t want people to be worried about losing their jobs.”
The district also said the funds are critical for initiatives like professional learning to support teacher growth and retention.
“When it comes to professional development, we need some of that federal money in order to qualify our teachers. We have to certify. We have to constantly train, and when you eliminate some of the budget for training, it keeps us from being the best teachers we can be and that keeps us from servicing our students to the best of our abilities,” said Lee Bryant, the President of the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association.
Teachers, administrators, and parents are worried about what the ripple effect could mean for kids in the classroom.
Christie Bruner has two kids in Pinellas County Schools.
“Having a middle schooler, going into that knowing that that funding might not be there is an issue for me,” said Bruner.
Supporters encourage people, even those without kids in the district, to reach out to their lawmakers about the funding, hoping a call to action will make all the difference.
“We really need, yes, our current parents that are really invested in what their kids are doing this year and how that funding will be spent, but we need people that are retired and have their kids out of school or don’t have kids because these kids are our future, and really hearing those voices from a variety of different constituents is what is going to change minds,” said Bruner.
Pinellas County Schools is holding a community forum on the issue on Thursday, July 24 at 6:00pm at the Pinellas County Schools Administration Building–Conference Hall, which is located at 301 4th St. SW, Largo, FL 33770. The forum will also be streaming live on the district's YouTube channel.
Hillsborough County crews work six days a week to improve stormwater drainage
The ongoing restoration work is part of a larger effort by Hillsborough County Public Works aimed at mitigating flooding risks throughout the area. Officials are hopeful that these improvements will provide a sense of safety during this hurricane season.
