The uncertainty surrounding the future of the U.S. Department of Education and its possible elimination will impact local school districts. Pontiac schools could face the largest loss of funding.

For this school year, the district has received federal grants of $33.4 million, another $25.6 million comes from state and local sources.

Out of the $33.4 million from 17 grants, the district has used $13.8 million, or 41% as of March 1, 2025.

Most federal funding for the Pontiac schools comes through the American Rescue Plan ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) III fund, established to support reopening and sustaining safe operations of schools and meeting students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The district carried $12.5 million in ESSER money from 2024 to this year and has used $9.1 million, or 73%. They have until June 30 to use the remaining funds.

Pontiac was awarded $8 million in assistance through Title I and has used $2.3 million, or 30%

Title I provides supplemental financial assistance to school districts for children from low-income families. Its purpose is to provide children an opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, and to close educational achievement gaps by allocating federal funds for education programs and services.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, for 2021—22, nationwide about 63% of traditional public schools and 62% of public charter schools were Title I eligible.

“It is a very real possibility and something that we are very concerned about considering the number of state and federal grants that we have here as a district,” said Kimberly Leverette, Pontiac’s interim superintendent, of the potential of losing federal grants. “There could potentially be an impact to our funds that we are all going to be very, very concerned about and we must plan accordingly.”

“The intent is clear, starve our public schools of the resources our students need and funnel these resources to discriminatory and unaccountable private schools or tax cuts for billionaires who funded his (Trump) campaign,” said National Education Association President Becky Pringle.

According to an analysis by the Center for American Progress, if Title I is eliminated 180,000 teaching positions could be lost, affecting 2.8 million students in low-income communities.

Pontiac also received a $1.36 million Michigan Comprehensive Literacy State Development grant and a $1.38 million Title II Teacher/Principal training and recruitment grant.

The Michigan Department of Education is using the federal Comprehensive Literacy State Development grant to support literacy development in five districts in the state, including Pontiac.

Over five years the $16 million grant, awarded in March 2021, helps districts and statewide partners advance literacy for children from birth through grade 12.

“There are huge concerns from moms, dads, staff and community members, but we are certainly going to be mindful that there is something larger looming that could potentially impact all of us,” said Leverette.

The federal education department was established by Congress in 1979 and eliminating it would require another act of Congress. The Trump administration announced on March 11 that staffing at the department will be reduced from 4,133 workers to 2,183.