LAWRENCE: Schools could lose federal funds

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
   The Lawrence Township public school district could lose $1.8 million in federal funding for the 2013-14 school year if a Congressional committee cannot agree on a deficit reduction plan before Jan. 2, 2013.
   Lawrence Township school district officials received a letter last month from the New Jersey Department of Education informing them of the pending loss of federal money. The U.S. Department of Education distributes the money to state departments of education, which in turn allocate money to public school districts.
   The Budget Control Act of 2011 established a Joint Select Committee in Congress, which is supposed to develop a proposal to achieve at least $1.2 trillion in deficit reductions over the next 10 years, according to a letter from the U.S. Department of Education to the New Jersey Department of Education.
   Because the Joint Select Committee has been unable to reach an agreement on a deficit reduction plan, automatic funding cuts — which would be used to reduce the federal deficit — will be made beginning in July 2013, unless Congress sends a balanced deficit reduction plan to President Barack Obama by Jan. 2, 2013.
   Superintendent of Schools Crystal Edwards said about $466,000 worth of No Child Left Behind funding could be jeopardy, as well as about $1.4 million in Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funding.
   The money that is at stake also pays for programs for special education students, at-risk students and English as a Second Language programs, Ms. Edward said. It also pays for professional development programs for teachers.
   ”They are giving us notice now so that we can be prepared in the event we do lose those funds. This current school year, we are okay with Individuals with Disabilities Act and No Child Left Behind funds. It’s looking ahead to the 2013-14 school year (that may be a problem),” Ms. Edwards said.
   Ms. Edwards said school district officials will begin budget preparations for the 2013-14 school year in October, and steps may be taken to account for the loss of federal funding. School district officials expect to begin preparing a plan in response to the possible loss of money, she said.
   ”It is important for us to know that we may lose that funding and to keep that close enough to the foreground so that if we do get notice of it, we have a backup plan. I don’t like it. I certainly don’t want to cut programs that we have that are funded by that money,” she said.