Over 900 Kentucky schools have Title I programs for low-income students, who rely on the federal subsidy. Asked about interruptions or changes to that model on CBS's Face the Nation Sunday, Sen. Rand Paul did not offer any guarantees that the dollars would keep flowing.
"Well, no. What I'd rather is a guarantee that my kids can read and write and do math," he said. "The number of dollars has gone up exponentially, and our scores have gone the other way. So dollars are not proportional to educational success. What I want is success."
Paul said he believes states, districts, and teachers want more autonomy from the federal government, and noted complaints that too much attention is being put on teaching to national tests.
The Kentucky lawmaker floated the idea of creating an organization made up of high-performing teachers who could potentially teach through the Internet, with local teachers reinforcing the lessons.
But on the local level, confusion and uncertainty are leaving districts in limbo until more details emerge. Fayette County Superintendent Demetrius Liggins said federal cuts would be felt district-wide.
"There's not one school in our district that will not be impacted if we lose federal funding. Not one," he said during a Monday school board meeting. "Every last one of them will be impacted, in some way negatively. We have special needs children on every single campus, and we have special programs on every single campus, all of which receive some sort of federal funding. So, all schools, period."
Fayette school board chair Tyler Murphy said the board will continue to advocate on behalf of those who would be affected.