Polk County Schools Director James Jones was “left in the dark completely” last week when the school district in Southeast Tennessee lost $36,000 in federal funds without an explanation from the state.
It appears to be part of a roughly 5% reduction statewide in money that goes toward low-income students, though some districts are reporting they received funding increases in other areas.
Polk County Schools officials are still trying to find out what happened.
“We don’t know why, and we weren’t communicated with. We weren’t warned. We didn’t get an email. We just, all of us got cut, everybody,” Jones said. “And we’re still searching for answers we don’t have.”
The district has made calls to Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn’s office, field representatives and others in search of answers.