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April 09, 2025
LANSING – The State Board of Education voted to call upon the U.S. secretary of education to honor a previous commitment by the federal government for more than $40 million in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds to improve safety, health, and air quality in 27 Michigan school districts.
The board action on Tuesday by a 6-1 vote comes after Secretary of Education Linda McMahon late last month notified state education agencies that she was changing the March 28, 2026, deadline for finalizing reimbursement requests that had been approved by the previous U.S. secretary of education. The new deadline was 5 p.m. March 28, 2025, approximately the same time that the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) received notification of the change.
Michigan school districts and school districts across the country had entered into contracts for the allowable work to be completed, the resolution says, and had relied upon the earlier approval from the U.S. Department of Education as assurance that the federal funds would be available.
Board members said the secretary’s action “puts the state and affected districts, as well as other states and affected districts in those states, at risk of not being reimbursed by, or required to return recaptured funds to, the U.S. Department of Education.”
MDE is sending the resolution to the U.S. secretary of education, the U.S. Department of Education, and all members of Michigan’s congressional delegation to seek their support for the request.
“The State Board of Education will continue to fight for these federal funds that should rightfully go to school districts that were promised financial assistance to keep children and staff safe and healthy,” said Dr. Pamela Pugh, president of the education board. “Canceling the funding with no notice is unfair to students.”
Since receiving approval for reimbursement, MDE has received more than $23 million from the U.S. Department of Education, with an outstanding balance for local school districts of more than $17 million. In addition, there are requests for administrative reimbursement of more than $7 million.
Given the unpredictability of the current federal administration, MDE is concerned that the U.S. Department of Education may seek to claw back some or all of the more than $23 million for schools.
“The U.S. Department of Education should make good on the federal government’s commitment to schoolchildren,” said State Superintendent Dr. Michael F. Rice. "To walk back a commitment to fund projects to improve the health and safety of schools for children is reprehensible. We ask the secretary to reconsider her decision in the best interest of schoolchildren.”
The funds include Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations and American Rescue Plan dollars. These funds were approved to be spent on projects including heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, boilers, and windows.
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