Rochester Public Schools superintendent Dr. Kent Pekel is asking the Department of Education to reconsider the sudden cancellation of $2 million in grant money.
The funding was supposed to help the district's mental-health program.
Dr. Pekel told the WCCO Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar the federal government gave them vague reasons for the cancellation.
The Department of Education told the district the reason for the cancellation had to do with the different priorities between the current administration and the previous one citing concerns about merit, excellence and fairness.
"So, there's nothing that they listed that we are not completely committed to," says Pekel. "Frankly, there was nothing explicitly in the notice we received that very clearly identifies the reason for the termination."
The funding was supposed to last from 2023 until the 2027-2028 school year. Those funds helped school employees who wanted to work in mental health obtain graduate level education and certifications required for social work in the district.
Dr. Pekel says the grant was canceled abruptly and that they'll have to reconsider their school-based Mental Health Scholars program now.
"We, especially given the tight budgetary environment that all school districts are facing, we cannot just make up for a $2 million grant that was cut without notice in midstream," Pekel explained.
The Trump Administration and the Department of Education led by Sec. Linda McMahon has been determined to shed funding to states from the department - and even attempt to shutter the entire department which likely cannot happen without approval from Congress.
The Republican president has argued the federal office hasn’t improved student outcomes and is unnecessary in a country where states and local districts primarily control education from funding to hiring and curriculum.
The department has been largely responsible for oversight, enforcing discrimination laws and distributing aid money for schools with low-income students and students with disabilities. Federal funding makes up a relatively small portion of public school budgets, roughly 14%.