By Ben Rappaport
Schools across the Border Belt in rural southeastern North Carolina are preparing for cuts in federal funding as President Donald Trump moves toward dismantling the U.S. Department of Education.
School officials in Bladen, Columbus, Robeson and Scotland counties say they anticipate their districts’ federal funds will be slashed by up to 30% in the fiscal year that starts July 1.
The cuts would predominantly impact federal grants including Title I, a program that provides extra money to schools with large percentages of low-income students. Other federal funding cuts could affect students with special needs or students who don’t speak English as their first language.
In North Carolina, approximately half of all schools receive Title I funding, according to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. All schools in the Border Belt, including Whiteville City Schools, get Title I funds.
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North Carolina received about $3.9 billion in federal funding in the 2022-2023 school year, which accounted for 17% of education spending in the state, according to the Public School Forum of North Carolina. Statewide, 70.5% of federal funds were used to pay school employees’ salaries and benefits, according to a budget document from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.
Poor, rural school districts that do not have large tax bases—like those in the Border Belt —typically rely more heavily on federal money to make up for gaps in local spending. Robeson County ranks last in the state for local spending, according to the Public School Forum of North Carolina. Neighboring Columbus County ranks 93rd out of 100.
Whiteville City Schools, which serves nearly 2,000 students in Columbus County, gets $4.9 million in federal funds each year, according to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. Those funds pay for 18 teachers and 13 teacher assistants, along with social workers, nurses and counselors, according to an analysis by the nonprofit North Carolina Justice Center.
Superintendent Jonathan Williams said class sizes could increase if the district sees a reduction in federal funds—a big concern because the school board has prioritized keeping class sizes small by using federal money to recruit teachers and staff.
Strong teacher-student relationships have helped the district improve test scores, he said. Students scored higher than the state average in math and showed more improvement than peer districts in reading in 2024, according to the Education Recovery Scorecard.
“We’ve been making good progress here, and we prove we are good stewards of our money,” Williams said. “But without the federal dollars, we would really, really struggle.”
A reduction in federal funds could leave school districts with undesirable choices: lay off teachers and other employees, increase class sizes, cut programs or ask county commissioners to raise local taxes.
Raising taxes would be a big ask in the Border Belt, one of the poorest regions in the state. Scotland County voters rejected a proposed quarter-cent sales tax increase in November that was expected to generate about $1 million a year to help make up for a budget shortfall.
Columbus County is also struggling financially; officials there are cutting expenses and leaving dozens of jobs unfilled, according to The News Reporter.
“We’ve been making good progress here, and we prove we are good stewards of our money. But without the federal dollars, we would really, really struggle.”
Whiteville City Schools Superintendent Jonathan Williams
But local school officials say they are turning to county commissions for help as they also face the end of pandemic-era federal relief funding, which expires at the end of this school year. North Carolina’s K-12 schools received $5.6 billion, roughly $3,600 per student, to recruit and retain staff and combat student learning loss through summer and tutoring programs.
Whiteville City Schools is asking Columbus County commissioners for nearly $6 million for the upcoming fiscal year, more than double what the district got this year. Williams said the money is needed to pay teachers’ supplemental salaries, buy materials, repair facilities and cover rising insurance costs. This year’s allocation fell well short of the district’s $3.9 million request.
“Any funding cuts—state, federal or local—would without a doubt detrimentally affect our operations,” Williams said.
Columbus County Schools receives $10.1 million in federal funds each year, according to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.
The district is asking county commissioners for $10.3 million, a 53% increase from the current year’s allocation. Superintendent Eddie Beck also said the district needs the increased funds to keep up with rising costs.
“While we will do everything we can to minimize the effects,” he said, “it will undoubtedly be heartbreaking to see any cuts that could hinder our students’ growth and opportunities.”
Scotland County Schools receives about $10.2 million in federal funds each year, accounting for 13% of the district’s budget. Superintendent Adell Baldwin said some of that money would result in “difficult decisions.”
“In such a scenario, we would thoroughly assess the potential impact and explore all possible options to minimize disruptions to student learning,” he said. “This would include reviewing our budget, prioritizing essential services, seeking alternative funding sources, and advocating for continued support at the state and federal levels.”
Trump plans to largely dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and hand over the funding to states. Last week, his administration announced the immediate terminations of more than 1,300 career employees.
Congressman David Rouzer, a Republican who represents much of southeastern North Carolina, including Bladen and Columbus counties and part of Robeson County, is in favor of the plan. He introduced a bill in January for the sixth time since 2014 to eliminate the department.
“Education should be handled at the state and local level without interference from the Federal government,” Rouzer said in a statement. “This bill takes the funding appropriated to the Department of Education and gets it back to the states to use for teacher pay increases, new schools and/or whatever each individual state needs to enhance education.”
Most North Carolina voters aren’t in favor of the plan, a Meredith College poll shows. Less than 30% of voters in the state support dismantling the department, according to the poll from early February. Fewer than half of Republicans in the state—47%—support the move.
Without final numbers in place, school districts are forced to operate with uncertainty. The timing is critical, officials say, because it is budget-planning season.
“We’re just not aware right now,” Williams said. “We’re very concerned. We see the news reports like everyone else, but there isn’t any official word on the federal funds at this time.”
