The U.S. Department of Education (USED) has approved extending COVID relief funding for two small projects in Boone County – one for almost $26,000 for an interactive online learning platform and another project for almost $18,600 to fund one year of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
USED also denied a further almost $10.6 million in projects in a reconsideration submitted by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) on behalf of school districts.
On March 28, KDE received a letter from the U.S. Secretary of Education stating that the time to spend all federal funds related to COVID relief was amended to end on March 28. This action came after Kentucky was notified by USED in September 2024 that it could spend its remaining funds through March 2026.
“While I am pleased that USED will allow for Boone County to continue spending money on these two projects that were previously approved by the department last year, it is unfortunate that Kentucky has been denied more than $10 million – so far – to provide resources and improve the learning environment of our students,” said Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher. “We expect the federal government to honor its promises to states and to our students.
“While we hope for more good news in the coming days, we stand ready to appeal the projects that have been denied. We will continue to fight for the resources our schools and districts have been promised by USED to continue their mission of providing the best education possible to Kentucky’s students.”
Projects that the USED denied payment for when asked to reconsider on a project-by-project basis included:
• Boone County: $167,566.27 for an online service that provides formative assessments to help gauge where students are academically.
• Christian County: $7,983,326.94 to be used in the construction of a new Christian County High School.
• Clinton County: $149,864 to create outdoor classrooms at the Clinton County Early Childhood Center and Albany Elementary School.
• Clinton County: $290,904.18 to install districtwide security cameras.
• Clinton County: $958,472.71 to be used for replacing or repairing damaged and moldy roofs at buildings across the district.
• Clinton County: $135,469.31 to update outdated auditorium lighting to be able to use the space more effectively.
• Covington Independent: $567,357.58 to upgrade the main electrical component that provides electricity to the newly installed uni-vents, heaters and air handlers, which significantly impacts the ventilation throughout Holmes Middle School and Holmes High School.
• Jefferson County: $340,347.96 to provide wraparound services to support the educational engagement and stability of students who are experiencing homelessness.
• Knox County: $276.12 to be used to update the ventilation system at Girdler Elementary School.
Kentucky Department of Education