CMS promises students won’t be affected by cuts amid Trump administration freeze
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Chief Financial Officer Kelly Kluttz on Wednesday promised students won’t feel effects this year of recently frozen federal spending.
Kluttz and CMS administrators spoke to reporters Wednesday after CMS released its plan for dealing with $12.5 million in still-frozen federal money. That means cutting “behind the scenes” services covered by Title II, III and IV money, which include teacher development, supplemental English materials and academic enrichment, officials said. Kluttz called the budget adjustment process “excruciating.”
CMS plans to use money leftover from last year to ensure students aren’t affected and prevent employee layoffs.
But current budget adjustments only provide a one-year fix for shortfalls caused by the Trump administration’s freeze, Kluttz said.
If the federal government continues to withhold money into next year, CMS won’t be able to cover gaps again and will eliminate the entire amount from the 2026-2027 budget.
“If we’re cut $12.5 million dollars — it will be deep and it will be painful. And every student could feel that impact,” Kluttz added.
CMS impacts this year
The cuts this year will “come in small increments,” Kluttz said.
“We’re not going to know tomorrow. We’re not going to know in three weeks,” she said. “There’s some decisions that haven’t been made.”
Deputy Superintendent Melissa Balknight said CMS vacancies may not be filled but “people are still in place.” Though, teachers may have to take on additional tasks to maintain the student experience, Balknight said.
She emphasized CMS teachers’ resilience and said the school district is not worried about how funding cut consequences might affect educator retention.
“We know that we’re ready and prepared to support our school leaders and our teachers to handle this shift,” Balknight added.
Response to federal government
CMS’ frozen money is part of about $135 million in North Carolina the Trump administration is continuing to withhold after releasing $35.7 million last week. The state joined 23 others in suing the U.S. Department of Education because the funds were already approved by Congress.
CMS officials didn’t comment on the politics of the situation.
“That’s not our work,” Balknight said. “Our work is to take care of all our children — to make sure that they have a great experience when they graduate.”
Though the funding freeze occurred the day before schools expected to receive the federal dollars, Kluttz said the district started planning for potential cuts starting in January. The district’s approved budget this year didn’t allocate all federal funds because of questions about the Department of Education and federal cuts.
“What is more difficult than the cut is the volatility that we’re having to deal with,” she said.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools academic year starts Aug. 25.
This story was originally published July 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
