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Scott: District working to get funds for School of Discovery

On Tuesday, April 8, The Selma City Schools Board of Education met to discuss the district’s old and new business including an email sent to new SCS superintendent Dr. David Scott.

About three weeks ago, the email that was sent to Scott was a notice from the United States Department of Education saying that they were rescinding previously approved COVID relief spending extensions that were initially approved by former President Joe Biden, according to Ms. Kristen Williams, Chief of Federal Programs.

Williams told The Selma Times-Journal exclusively that the SCS district received about $3.9 million in allocated funds through the American Rescue Plan’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds III grant program to help with the repair of the school. But due to multiple circumstances during the building process, she said it led to a significant pushback on the school project getting completed.

“During that time we were starting to build, of course with COVID. The cost went up on supplies,” Williams said. “Then, there was a situation where we had to go through the Historical Society, which took some time because one of the buildings that is right next to The School of Discovery (SOD), that used to be the old school board building. They wouldn’t let us tear it down because they said it was historic. And, so that was an issue with the building process. Then, the tornado hit, and sometime after that, a car ran into the building. So, normally we would have been finished with the construction by the September (2024) deadline. But, unfortunately because of other unforeseen circumstances it pushed the process for the building back. So we had to put in an application for late liquidation, which was approved from the State Department, and it was initially approved by the administration from the feds when former President Biden was in, and we all had to sign off on it. Then, we got a letter in November 2024 that said it was approved.”

Williams said after the recent news of the email, the SCS district immediately reached out to the State’s Department of Federal Programs to see exactly what was taking place regarding the information received from the email.

“Basically, a lot of other states drew down their money first,” Williams said. “When they drew down the state of Alabama, we put in an application to draw down those funds as well.”

Board President Johnny Moss III said since the application was turned in and the latest email regarding the matter was received, Scott has been in constant contact with State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey.

“And, his team is doing everything that they can to ensure that we receive this funding that we were awarded previously,” Moss said. “As of late yesterday, Dr. Scott said that Dr. Mackey and his team will be following up with us in the near future about the response they receive from the U.S. Department of Education.”

Currently, Moss said the SOD project will still move forward and that they will have to pay for the remaining construction out of the district’s general funds until they receive the funding allocated from the U.S. Department of Education.

“I would just like to state that it is not a nine-million-dollar bill,” Moss said. “The number owed is $3.9 million, and the $9 million that was reported by AL.com does not belong to the Selma City School District.”