Newschannel 9 in Chattanooga has the story of how the Tennessee Department of Education’s lack of proper documentation and inappropriate spending could jeopardize hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for schools.
$328 million in school money could soon be lost, after a federal report says the state used the money inappropriately or didn’t provide documentation.
The money is part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and is designed to support migrant education, low income community schools and special education.
What’s most shocking about this story is that the state was first advised of issues with how it tracks and spends these federal dollars back in 2018. Then, they were warned again in 2021.
Now, they are under a tight deadline to demonstrate they can accurately track and account for this federal money. If they don’t, the cash will stop flowing – leaving school districts with less money on which to operate.
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