Federal Freeze, State Cuts Cost Pinellas Schools $10.7 Million

Pinellas County school district officials must scramble to overcome the loss of $10.7 million in anticipated funding, with less than a month before nearly 100,000 students return to classrooms. 

The U.S. Department of Education announced June 30, a day before the start of the district’s fiscal year, that it was withholding over $6 billion in previously allocated public school funding. Roughly $9 million was earmarked for Pinellas County Schools (PCS), which unveiled its already tight budget June 24. 

Superintendent Kevin Hendrick told school board members Tuesday that the state subsequently withdrew $1.4 million in anticipated funding after accounting for students enrolled in public schools who mistakenly received vouchers. 

The district then lost $300,000 in state-distributed, federal Title I funding that supports programs and resources for students from low-income households. School Board Chair Laura Hine stressed the need for local, state and national advocates Wednesday. 

“Our schools impact everybody,” Hine told the Catalyst. “Whether you have kids in school now or you never have, they impact every part of our economy, every part of our community. So, the funding of our schools to achieve academic excellence is hugely important.” 

PCS has done its part, earning an overall “A” grade for the second consecutive year. The percentage of schools earning an “A” or “B” grade from the state jumped from 80% to 90% between 2024 and 2025. Hine said those and other metrics highlight a return on investment. 

Maintaining recent momentum could now prove more challenging. At the June 24 workshop, the board discussed potential future federal funding losses amid the presidential administration’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education. 

However, Hine said she and her colleagues thought the 2025-26 budget was safe. “I was surprised.” 

“It’s not customary to have funds frozen less than a month from school, and once we’ve already started our fiscal year,” Hine added. “It has never happened before, that I’m aware of.” 

District officials unanimously expressed dismay Tuesday that the federal government would abruptly freeze congressionally approved funding. Conservative board member Stephanie Meyer said she, like her colleagues, would welcome the spending scrutiny in 2026. 

“To pull the rug out from under K-12 school districts across the country right before school starts is really very concerning to me,” Meyer said. “I think we need to take a step back and say, ‘Yes, these reviews need to be made … however, we need to move forward with this federal funding for this school year.’”

Meyer said she would lean on her relationships within the Florida Department of Education. She suggested that others reach out to federal officials with their shared concerns. 

Congresswoman Kathy Castor pressed U.S. Secretary of Education Lisa McMahon and Office of Management and Budget Director Russel Vought in a letter Wednesday to release the funding immediately. She believes the presidential administration is “arbitrarily and illegally withholding congressionally-appropriated dollars without warning.” 

Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, a staunch supporter of the president, has not released a statement on the federal funding freeze. Her recent social media posts focus on conspiracy theories and the rumored firing of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. 

Hine said the funding supports teacher training and retention, a program that helps middle school students transition into adolescence and mental health and social services, an “extraordinarily important aspect.” However, the district will “figure out how to do the things we know we have to do.” 

Hine also noted that the county’s congressional representatives “have done their job” by appropriating the money. She wants state leadership to advocate on the district’s behalf, “and then we do need to have a serious conversation on what funding looks like in the future, because it does impact student success.” 

“We’re tasked with doing threat management, no one else,” Hendrick said Tuesday. “Obviously, that’s going to continue in the school district, but something else … is going to need to be cut in order for that to continue at its current level.” 

Board members broached the idea of community fundraising to support at-risk initiatives. Hine, a longtime St. Petersburg resident, said Wednesday that there is “so much amazing philanthropy in this community, but our public schools have never asked.” 

District officials have already spoken with local organizations, including the Juvenile Welfare Board and Pinellas Education Foundation, about the funding freeze and associated impacts. PCS will host a community forum on the topic Thursday, July 24, at 6 p.m. in its Administrative Building.

Hine said it would provide the public with an opportunity to understand the budget process and the district’s financial transparency. “If our funding model is changing, and we believe in these programs, and we believe they have an impact on kids, then we are going to have to ask for more help in the future,” she said.

“I would ask everybody, whether you have kids in school or not, to care about this.” 

Read the article as originally published at https://stpetecatalyst.com/federal-freeze-state-cuts-cost-pinellas-schools-10-7-million/

JWB Interim CEO Michael G. Mikurak will present on how JWB will support the Pinellas County School District in his report to the JWB Board at their meeting on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at 9:00 AM; CLICK HERE and navigate to the 7/24/25 Board Meeting to access the information packet.