On April 1st, Linda McMahon, Secretary of the Department of Education, sent a letter to the Education Chiefs in each state modifying the liquidation period of the Education Stabilization Fund to end retroactively on March 28, 2025.
Cue the Democrat reaction:
Trump Administration Terminates $106 Million in K-12 Education Funding for Massachusetts | Mass.gov
Trump administration cuts $106 million in unspent COVID relief from Massachusetts schools | Boston Globe
Trump administration cuts $106M in funding for schools in Massachusetts | WWLP
The Boston Globe article mentions that Massachusetts schools were given a deadline to use the funds. They were then given ample opportunity to request an extension.
The primary deadline to use the funds was Sept. 30, and the vast majority have been spent. But districts were granted “late liquidation” extensions for things like paying contractors, as long as the money was obligated.
From the DOE letter:
According to Governor Healey, in February, the Trump Administration reaffirmed that Massachusetts had until March 2026 to spend its Education Stabilization Fund allocations. While that may be true, we have been unable to locate an official public document to support this statement.
In Massachusetts, the school fiscal year begins on July 1, and budgets are usually finalized in April or March. Districts had ample time and knowledge before the September 30, 2024, deadlineto secure the use of those funds. The supposed March 2026 extension came well after their 2024-25 budgets had been submitted.
Massachusetts has already spent 97% of the funds
Not every state was caught off guard.
Rhode Island, which received more than $373 million in ESSER funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, spent nearly all the funds by the deadline, according to Victor Morente, the spokesperson for the state’s Department of Education. Morente said no extension requests were made, but $313,000 was forfeited in September by districts that did not spend all of their money by the deadline.
So who is to blame for the “loss” of $106 million in school funding?
School Districts: Springfield and New Bedford, which accounted for the majority of the unspent funds ($47.4 million and $15.6 million, respectively), faced challenges in utilizing their allocations before the September 30 deadline. However, other districts across the state as well as other states faced the same challenges.
State Oversight: The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) did not apply for liquidation extensions that could have preserved funding for delayed projects. While other states successfully secured extensions, Massachusetts missed this opportunity.
What will happen to the remaining funds?
The remaining funds in the Education Stabilization Fund (ESF) will revert to the U.S. Treasury’s General Fund, as mandated by federal regulations:
Ignore the freakout
The DOE letter ends with an offer to consider extensions:
The Democrat reactions fail to mention the last paragraph. Springfield, New Bedford, and other school districts have yet another chance to perform in a competent manner and submit an extension.
Democrat teeth gnashing at every action President Trump takes is nothing new, and constant attempts to tug at the heartstrings of the American people are growing ever tiresome.
America voted for transparency, accountability, and responsibility. President Trump is delivering.
by Citizens for Truth
Massachusetts First 
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