A federal judge issued a preliminary order this week blocking the Trump administration from cutting off states’ access to hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic relief funds for public schools — including $19 million for the East St. Louis school district.
U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos, of the Southern District of New York, on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction preventing the enforcement of an order issued in late March by U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
McMahon’s order reversed earlier decisions by the previous administration to grant the states additional time to spend pandemic relief funds, stating extending the deadlines for the taxpayer-funded grants “years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department’s priorities.”
The Trump administration’s order meant Illinois school districts immediately lost access to more than $77 million in such funds.
East St. Louis School District 189 stood to lose the most money of any Illinois district. The district was supposed to receive more than $19 million to finish major heating, ventilation and air conditioning projects to improve indoor air quality in all of its schools.
These projects are especially critical, the district’s Executive Director of Communications Sydney Stigge-Kaufman previously said, given they reduce the risk of airborne illnesses like COVID-19 and the community has high asthma rates.
But, in response to a lawsuit filed by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and 16 other states, Ramos’ Tuesday injunction ruled the Department of Education cannot enforce the order, at least while the case is still being litigated or until the court issues a different order.
It also said the Department of Education must provide states with 14 days notice if it wishes to make other changes to pandemic-relief money spending deadlines.
Stigge-Kaufman said the recent injunction is an “encouraging” step.
“This preliminary injunction supports the position of states and school districts that have already made responsible, student-centered commitments with these funds,” Stigge-Kaufman said on behalf of the district. “We remain hopeful for a positive resolution that allows our district to move forward with unnecessary disruption to school operations, student learning environments or our fiscal integrity.”
As of now, the funds have not been released, she said.
Spending extension previously granted due to delays caused by pandemic
In 2020 and 2021, Congress passed relief acts to help schools with costs associated with preparing for the safe return to in-person learning, addressing the learning loss students suffered during school closures and addressing some of the unique needs of homeless children that were exacerbated by the pandemic.
A press release from the Illinois State Board of Education noted that the vast majority of the state’s federal pandemic relief funds have been spent. But, as districts attempted to spend some of their funds, they ran into struggles related to the pandemic, such as supply chain issues, that made it impossible to spend the funds by the original deadline.
That’s why the U.S. Department of Education previously granted East St. Louis and select other districts across Illinois an extension until spring 2026 to spend select unspent, yet obligated, grant funds, the press release explained.
But, on March 28, the Department of Education issued a statement revoking the decision, stating those funds had to be spent by 4 p.m. that same day. ISBE received that email at 4:03 p.m., after the new deadline, its Executive Director of Communications Jackie Matthews previously told the BND.
The loss of funds meant District 189 was set to not be able to complete the HVAC projects, as the city’s low property values and high property tax rate prevent the lost funds from being replaced with local revenue, Stigge-Kaufman previously explained.
If the district does not receive the federal funds, Stigge-Kaufman said, it will have to take financial resources away from other areas.
The March 28 revocation letter said grantees could submit new requests to extend their spending deadline.
Stigge-Kaufman said the district submitted an extension request following the letter and is waiting to hear back.
Other southwestern Illinois districts impacted by McMahon’s reversal of the extension, and the new injunction, include:
- Centralia High School District 200: $561,632 for construction
- Madison Community Unit School District 12: $93,688 for construction and HVAC
- Pickneyville Community High School District 101: $87,196 for HVAC
ISBE and the above districts did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Editor's note: This story was originally published by the Belleville News-Democrat. Madison Lammert is a reporter for the BND, a news partner of St. Louis Public Radio. Peter Hancock is a reporter for Capitol News Illinois.
