Expired Funds, Unreliability Harm Rural Schools (Opinion)

To the Editor:

Every education leader and school board understands that public dollars come with an obligation to use them responsibly and for their intended purpose. If I, a superintendent in a rural district, failed to put funding approved for my students to work, my school board would rightly demand answers. That same standard of accountability should apply at every level of government.

That is why a recent investigation by Education Week reporter Mark Lieberman deserves attention. (“Trump’s Education Department Is Letting Tens of Millions of Dollars Expire,” Aug. 4, 2026). His review of federal spending records found that the U.S. Department of Education let more than $75 million in congressionally appropriated funds expire last fiscal year. The department appears on pace to allow substantially more to lapse this year.

This distinction matters. Congress approved the funding. Taxpayers provided the money. The department’s responsibility was to administer those dollars. Its failure to do so is not simply a budget issue but also a leadership and stewardship issue.

After nearly five decades in public education, I have learned that uncertainty can be as damaging to rural schools as a budget cut. We cannot hire teachers, replace aging buses, purchase technology, or expand student services based on promises. Responsible planning requires predictable funding.

Meanwhile, rural educators have faced delayed guidance for Rural Education Achievement Program grants, uncertainty surrounding the E-rate program, postponed grant competitions, and now expired appropriations. At the same time, Washington says it is offering states greater flexibility in spending some federal education dollars. Flexibility is welcome. But without reliability, it’s an empty promise.

Rural schools are not asking for special treatment. We want competent stewardship and the assurance that when Congress appropriates funding, those dollars will reach the schools and students they were intended to support.

Every expired dollar represents a lost opportunity and an erosion of public trust.

Steven L. Johnson
School District Superintendent
Fort Ransom, N.D.