RAPID CITY, SD — At the Rapid City Area Schools’ Board of Education Meeting, board members received an uncomfortable presentation from the newly-seated Superintendent, Dr. Jami Jo Thompson– announcement of critical title funding from the Department of Education had been paused indefinitely.
“We as a district received a memo from the state secretary of education on July 3rd, indicating that the United States Department of Education had paused the announcement,” Said Dr. Thompson. This announcement comes days after the usual July 1st funding announcement and comes on the heels of the Trump Administration’s layoffs of nearly half of the department. These title funds account for nearly six billion dollars of the Education Department’s budget and have been withheld nationwide. Title funding withheld includes Title I-C, II-A, III-A, IV-A, IV-B, which covers funding for migrant students, English language education, as well as support for small and low-income communities, and more.
Many districts rely upon the stability of funding for this, and Rapid City schools are no exception. According to the Superintendent, at least half of the funding goes toward staff, and the withholding of funding comes at an especially poor time as it comes following the finalization of commercial and staff contracts for this year.
At the moment, this situation is uncertain and unstable, and funding if not provided by the Department is unclear. According to the district, plans are already in place to meet with federal representatives later this week in order to discuss the importance of receiving this funding.
