Latest news with #SouthBendCommunitySchoolCorporation
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
$20M in COVID relief at risk for 15 Indiana school districts after feds rescind extension
Potentially 15 school districts and charter schools will no longer be reimbursed for projects paid for with federal COVID relief funds, impacting around $20 million in funding for Indiana schools, after the federal government rescinded a deadline extension. Newly appointed federal education secretary, Linda McMahon, sent a letter to state education leaders on March 28 alerting them that federal aid sent to schools during the COVID-19 pandemic to help kids return safely to schools and recoup learning loss, could no longer be reimbursed. Schools had until the end of last year to spend the remaining funds, also known as Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER), which most schools in Indiana did but some districts sought an extension. McMahon is rescinding that extension, saying in the letter that districts had 'ample time to liquidate obligations.' More impacts from federal govt: How USDA's budget cuts will affect Indiana food banks and school food programs 'Extending deadlines for COVID-related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department's priorities and thus not a worthwhile exercise of its discretion,' the letter said. After receiving that letter, the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) told IndyStar that they identified 15 school districts that could be impacted by McMahon's rescinding of funds. Those schools include: Anderson Community School Corporation Aspire Charter Academy Gary Lighthouse Charter School Lake Ridge New Tech Schools Marion Community Schools North Knox School Corporation Paramount Brookside Richmond Community Schools Salem Community Schools School City of East Chicago South Bend Community School Corporation Southwestern-Jefferson County Consolidated School Corporation Thea Bowman Leadership Academy Vigo County School Corporation Zionsville Community Schools The IDOE also said schools can work with them to determine the status of their funds and next steps. McMahon does state in her letter that extensions could be granted on a case-by-case basis but the school must show how the particular project is necessary to 'mitigate the effects of COVID on American students' education,' and why the department should grant the extension. Overall Indiana saw about $2.9 billion in aid packages sent from the federal government to help schools return to in-person learning and to catch students up after COVID-19 disrupted learning for months. The approximately $20 million that districts were hoping to be reimbursed for has now been put in jeopardy forcing some districts to look at other buckets of funding. South Bend Community School Corporation's chief financial officer, Ahnaf Tahmid, said the district had approximately $1.5 million left, paying for expenditures like instructional professional services and HVAC systems in schools around the district. In a presentation at a South Bend school board meeting on Feb. 9, Tahmid and his team said the district paid more than 500 vendors from the COVID fund for instructional and district programs in the grant's four-year duration. The district plans to submit a list of its ongoing projects to IDOE and request more time, but, Tahmid said, if the extension isn't granted, the district will have to pay the $1.5 million balance from its general fund. The change from the Department of Education may be difficult for districts that had budgeted for a longer liquidation period, he said, but in the case of the South Bend district, he's not too concerned. "I don't see anything alarming at this time, because we were anyway planning to liquidate that as early as possible," Tahmid said. "Maybe we would have done that by March and maybe by April or May — I mean, we wouldn't have waited until December, anyway, so that's not a big alarming thing for us for now." Zionsville Community Schools said they are waiting to hear back from the state on being reimbursed for $13,000 that has already been spent on student support. Paramount Brookside, an Indianapolis charter school, told IndyStar that they had $65,000 in outstanding funds but currently had no plan to recoup those dollars. Contact IndyStar K-12 education reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@ Follow her on Twitter (X): @CarolineB_Indy. Email South Bend Tribune education reporter Rayleigh Deaton at rdeaton@ This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana schools may lose $20M in COVID aid after deadline pulled
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
South Bend superintendent, Western grad out after decision to not delay school
The superintendent of South Bend Community School Corporation is no longer with the district following his decision to not delay or cancel school last week. Superintendent Todd Cummings, a Western High School graduate, faced criticism from both parents and school board members for not delaying or cancelling school Thursday. Conditions were icy Thursday morning in the South Bend area, and many other schools in the region either delayed or canceled for the day. The South Bend Tribune reported Tuesday morning the school district and Cummings had reached a tentative separation agreement. Cummings was in his sixth year as South Bend superintendent. He was the longest-serving superintendent at South Bend in 25 years. He graduated from Western after his family moved to Kokomo from southern Indiana, according to Cummings got his start in education at Western Middle School as an English teacher. He taught at Western for seven years. School board Vice President Bill Sniadecki told local news outlets two dozen buses slid off the roads and a student fell and broke their wrist walking to school last week. However, those claims appear to have been exaggerated. WSBT, a South Bend TV station, investigated, checking with both city and county police. There was one report of a South Bend bus hitting a mailbox Thursday morning. An incident report from the school's transportation supervisor had 13 bus incidents, however there were no slide offs or buses stuck in ditches. Most incidents were for minor slipping on roads. Sniadecki said he got his information from a bus driver who got it from a bus mechanic. He was also the one who told the South Bend newspaper about Cummings' departure Tuesday. Other board members said there was a report of a student falling while walking to the bus and multiple employees slipping or falling. An emergency school board meeting was called Friday evening. The main agenda item was a vote to put Cummings on administrative leave while his decision to have school Thursday was investigated. However, that meeting was rescheduled almost immediately after it began, according to WNDU, another local TV station. No comments were made by board members or the school corporation as to why the meeting was moved to Wednesday, according to multiple reports. Wednesday's agenda includes selecting an acting superintendent. Candidates include a deputy superintendent and principal of South Bend's virtual program. Board member Stuart Greene said new members had disagreements with Cummings and the district's master facilities plan, saying they wanted the superintendent to consider what the public wanted.
