Maryland state education leaders say they’re scrambling to recover just over $232 million of pandemic-era relief spending cut by the federal government.
That’s less than the $418 million state officials originally thought they’d lose after the Trump administration abruptly announced last month that it will not be reimbursing emergency COVID-19 spending promised by former President Joe Biden.
But that still leaves the state on the hook for money that has already been spent by local districts, said board of education Chair Joshua Michael at a meeting Tuesday. That totals $168 million.
“We will have to come up with this money,” Michael said. “That could mean salaries for 2,000 teachers next year. That could mean the base student formula for 18,000 children statewide next year. These are real dollars. These are not prospective things.”
Local school districts will have to make up for nearly $42 million in already-spent funding that the state education department can’t reimburse — and another $56 million that they’ve planned to spend, but may not have yet.
That’s forcing superintendents to cancel contracts for ongoing tutoring services and construction projects. In Baltimore City, more than 3,000 students lost access to after-school programs because of the deficit. And leaders are pausing plans to upgrade locks on high school classroom doors.
CEO Sonja Santelises told WYPR’s Midday show on Tuesday that the district spent most of its now-unreimbursed funding on tutoring for the “neediest students,” which has led to “outsized gains” in reading and math improvement.
But because of the Trump administration’s reversal, Santelises said the district will have to scale back that service next year.
“If you don't have as much money, you're not going to be able to provide it as well, as widely as we have been since the pandemic,” she said.
State Superintendent Carey Wright said her team has submitted multiple re-applications for a slim chance at getting some of the funding reimbursed by the Secretary of Education. But she hasn’t received a response in three weeks — and she doesn’t know of any other state leader who has, either.
“So this has not been for the faint of heart, and we have no idea whether this will or will not be approved,” Wright said at Tuesday’s meeting.
The deficit will impact the entire state’s budget, not just the education department, Wright added.
“So if we don't get this money, then the state of Maryland is on the hook for a loss of $232.1 million,” she said.
