Newly proposed federal cuts could cost Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools $13.7M
A new federal bill could mean $13.7 million in cuts for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in 2027, a school district official warned.
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The U.S. House Appropriations Committee released a 2027 funding bill June 4 that would slash funding for several grants, including three that account for the bulk of CMS’ federal funds.
“As this budget moves to the full House floor and advances to the Senate, we strongly urge our representatives to reject these proposed cuts,” CMS Executive Director of Intergovernmental Relations Charles Jeter wrote to Charlotte-area members of Congress Tuesday. “We must protect our classrooms and invest in our future, not defund it.”
Jeter shared the email with The Charlotte Observer.
The bill would cut Title I funding, which goes to schools with a high proportion of students living in poverty, by approximately 9%. Out of CMS’ total 185 schools, 102 are slated to receive Title I funding next school year, for a total of $48.4 million.
With the proposed cuts, CMS would lose an estimated $4.4 million in Title I funding in 2027. Jeter told The Observer that could mean fewer educators and resources in the district’s poorest schools.
“If you’re going to take away 9% of our funding of Title I funds, that’s going to have a dramatic impact on the students we should be helping the most,” Jeter said Tuesday evening. “Title I provides greater resources to the students who need it. So, in taking it away, you are increasing the teacher-student ratio, for example, in the schools that can afford it the least.”
The proposal would also slash Title II and Title III grants entirely. Title II funding goes toward teacher and principal development, while Title III funds are to support students learning English as a second language.
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If passed, CMS would lose $5.9 million in Title II funding and $3.5 million in Title III funds.
The proposal would still need to pass the full U.S. House of Representatives and Senate and later be signed by President Donald Trump before it would become law.
“Stripping these essential resources will directly stall student academic achievement and disproportionately impact our most vulnerable student populations,” Jeter told lawmakers Tuesday.
District leaders previously feared cuts to federal funding after the Trump administration froze around $6 billion in already-allocated Title II, III and IV grants last summer, including $12.5 million in CMS. The administration reversed course after 24 state attorneys general, including North Carolina’s Jeff Jackson, sued for the money to be released.
Federal funding currently accounts for about 6.8% of CMS’ budget.
Jeter told The Observer that he “had some conversations on the Senate side” Tuesday afternoon but said he hasn’t discussed the cuts with any members of the House yet.
“The frustrating part for me is it almost looks like an intentional effort on behalf of the United States House to undermine and really hamstring traditional public schools to the point where they no longer function,” Jeter said. “And, I think that’s a significant problem.”
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