© 2025 WUKY
background_fid.jpg
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Kentucky schools believed they had until 2026 to spend COVID-related dollars. Now the feds want it back

FILE - The headquarters of the U.S. Department of Education, March 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
/
AP
FILE - The headquarters of the U.S. Department of Education, March 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

The U.S. Department of Education wants to claw back $56 million in federal pandemic relief funds once promised to the Kentucky education officials and schools.

The Trump administration says it's trying to stop reimbursements and pull back federal COVID dollars school districts had been told would would be available through March of 2026. But according to the Kentucky Lantern projects in 13 school districts are already in the beginning stages — with contracts signed in some cases — on the assumption that the federal money was assured.

Kentucky Department of Education spokesperson Jennifer Ginn said the letter from the U.S. Education Department noted that it will consider an extension to the liquidation period on an individual project basis. KDE has gathered the requested information from districts and is seeking a request to retain the funds.

Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher said in a release that the federal government should "honor its commitments to our schools and districts.”

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports Fayette County Public Schools is not among the districts waiting for reimbursements of the federal relief funds.