Baltimore City Public Schools to use "rainy day" to compensate for loss of federal funding
Baltimore City Public Schools will use its "rainy day" fund for the loss of $48 million in federal funding due to a cut by the Trump administration.
In March, the Maryland Department of Education said the federal government rescinded a reimbursement of $360 million that was previously allocated for state schools.
Last week, BCPS told WJZ it was "deeply concerned" about the potential impacts of the funding loss.
BCPS said they would be cutting several programs, including pandemic recovery-funded tutoring and after-school programs, along with plans for renovations.
According to the Baltimore Banner, BCPS has been setting aside money that they put into a "rainy day fund" that would be used for unexpected circumstances and emergencies. That fund has about $69 million, the Banner reported.
The funding that was cut belonged to the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) Maryland was not the only state impacted by the funding cuts.
The funding was scheduled to have already been spent, however many of Maryland's school systems received extensions that granted them the ability to spend the money through 2026.
President Trump calls out Baltimore schools
President Trump called out Baltimore City Public Schools in March, citing low math scores. The public comment came as Mr. Trump signed an executive order ordering his administration to begin dismantling the Department of Education.
"In Baltimore, 40% of the high schools have zero students who can do basic mathematics, not even the very simplest of mathematics," Mr. Trump said. "I said, 'Give me your definition of basic,' and they are talking about adding a few numbers together."
According to a fact sheet presented by the White House, 13 Baltimore City schools had no students who were proficient on a state math test in 2023.
WJZ reached out to BCPS for comment but has not heard back.
A report by the Baltimore Banner says Mr. Trump was referring to the students' performances on Maryland's Algebra I test, which covers concepts beyond the scope of basic math, including knowledge of functions and systems of equations, and other materials.