If the Department of Education goes away, what does that mean for Fort Bragg-area schools?
The change could be worrisome in an area reliant on funding for military-connected students.
Connelly told local leaders during a Feb. 7 meeting that "the potential dismantling of the Department of Ed" could mean funding from federal programs goes away.
With Fort Bragg considered federal property, several bordering counties qualify for impact aid, which 'assists local school districts that have lost property tax revenue due to the presence of tax-exempt Federal property, or that have experienced increased expenditures due to the enrollment of federally connected children,' according to the Department of Education.
The funding is divided into four categories: federal property, basic support, children with disabilities and construction grants.
The Department of Education announced Tuesday that it was cutting its workforce nearly in half.
"The president's mandate, as directed to me clearly, is to shut down the Department of Education, which we know we'll have to work with Congress to get that accomplished, but what we did today is to take the first step of eliminating what I think is bureaucratic bloat," U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon told Fox News's Laura Ingraham on Tuesday.
Rep. David Rouzer, a Republican from North Carolina whose district includes most of Fayetteville, filed a bill earlier this year that proposes dismantling the department and reallocating its funds to states.
During the Feb. 7 meeting between the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners and Board of Education, Connelly said the national School Superintendents Association warned there could be impacts to programs for low-income families, military impact aid and special education.
'If there should be a significant reduction in federal funds, we have got to have fund balance to sustain those programs,' Connelly told the elected officials.
The Fayetteville Observer contacted local school districts last week to ask how much impact aid they receive and what the funds currently go toward.
Impact Aid Cumberland County Schools receives is determined by the number of students who have a parent or guardian on active duty in the military; live in federal low-income housing or on federally owned property; or live with a parent or guardian who works on federal property, a spokeswoman said.
Cumberland County Schools had 12,132 federally connected students during fiscal year 2024, of which 8,001 were military-connected, Renarta Moyd, a CCS spokeswoman, said March 7.
For fiscal year 2025, 11,769 students are federally connected, of which 7,859 are military-connected, she said.
Moyd said that in FY2024, Cumberland County Schools received more than $4.69 million in impact aid for students who are military and federally connected. A $298,362 portion of those funds was also received for children with disabilities.
For fiscal year 2024, Cumberland County Schools has received more than $2.1 million for military and federally connected students and $84,392 for children with disabilities.
Moore County received $937,043 in impact aid funds for fiscal year 2023, and had 2,583 military-connected children enrolled in 2023 to 2024, a spokesman said.
'In Moore County Schools, which is among the lower-funded districts in North Carolina yet ranks in the top 10 for Grade Level Proficiency and Career and Technical Education (CTE) credential attainment, Impact Aid is crucial,' MCS spokesman Charles Batchelor III said in a March 12 email.
Batchelor said the funds support the district's military-connected student population through:
• Online enrollment to facilitate a smooth transition for service members' children in schools by allowing for pre-move registration.
• Nationally recognized Student2Student Programs that help new students, including military families, by connecting them with peers who are also military-connected.
• Helping fund student support services jobs, school security and the district's military family liaison.
• Technology enhancements.
There are at least 1,098 military-connected students, Hoke County Schools spokeswoman Alison Jones said March 10.
Jones said the numbers rely on parent participation, and, as a result, the data may not give a full accounting of military-connected students.
'The funds we receive from Impact Aid typically go towards supporting our exceptional children program, classroom support, and extracurricular activities — many of which specifically benefit our military-connected students,' Jones said.
Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Could impact aid go away for Fort Bragg area schools?
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