Dive Brief:
- Mississippi over-committed its 21st Century Community Learning Center funds and its corrective actions will mean some high-performing organizations serving low-income students of color will have to absorb massive cuts.
- The Hechinger Report writes a group called SR1, or Scientific Research, which takes kids to statewide robotics tournaments and leads them to above-average state test performance and college-going rates will lose $250,000, while the Boys and Girls Club of the Mississippi Delta will lose $200,000.
- The Mississippi Department of Education is distributing only $5.6 million out of $14.6 million it awarded this year and not to any programs that received funding for the first time in the last two years, which it says was done in error.
Dive Insight:
The 21st Century Community Learning Center funds are meant to provide students in high-poverty, low-performing districts with enrichment opportunities outside of the school day. These programs are important partners for schools and greatly expand the ability of local students to get rich academic experiences during their K-12 years. The blow for these community organizations and nonprofits in Mississippi is a blow for schools as well, as they are hardly in a position to make up the difference.
While other states may not have made such large accounting errors, nonprofits still struggle to serve all the students they’d like to all across the country. In Illinois, a budget standoff continues to threaten community services that help keep kids healthy and safe outside of school hours. In many places, the village approach to educating children is at risk. And the consequences are far-reaching.