School officials said the $5.6 million was being used to build a new bus transportation building for the 10-school district, which enrolls nearly 6,000 students.
The building is in mid-construction with only its steel framework in place.
According to a statement from district officials “Middletown City School District (MCSD) is confronting a potentially devastating funding loss. The U.S. Department of Education has initiated a recall of American Rescue Plan (ARP)/ESSER funds, impacting 18 Ohio school districts, with (Middletown) alone standing to lose $5.6 million—the largest single amount in the state.”
“This funding is critical for completing the district’s Transportation and Maintenance Facility project, a key infrastructure initiative designed to enhance student safety, improve operational efficiency, and modernize outdated transportation systems,” they said.
“Without it ($5.6 million), the future of this vital project—now 40% complete—is left structurally exposed without a roof or windows, putting it at risk of weather damage, cost escalations, and delays.”
School officials said the new facility is designed to address aging transportation infrastructure and consolidate maintenance operations to better serve MCSD students and families.
“A $5.6 million shortfall would stall construction indefinitely and risk losing the investments already made.”
In the last two years some school districts across Butler County – and among Ohio’s 613 public school systems – have struggled financially with the phase out of millions of dollars of federal ESSER funds, which begun a year after the onset of the Covid pandemic in March 2020.
Middletown’s annual operating budget is $95 million.
Middletown school officials said they hope the ESSER funding cut will “bring attention to the real-world consequences that policy decisions in Washington, D.C., can have on local communities.”
Officials also said in their statement to have the support of area legislators U.S. Representative Warren Davidson, R-OH, state Sen. George Lang, R-West Chester and state Rep. Thomas Hall, R-Madison Twp. in their efforts to restore the funding cut.
In a letter from Davidson dated April 23, the Congressman requested an extension to delay and a reconsideration of the funding elimination from U.S. Department of Education officials.
“There are certain projects, such as Middletown Schools’ transportation construction project, that deserve flexibility given the investment they have made,” said Davidson referring to the district’s total expense of $10 million for the new busing building.
Middletown school officials said “the district has also reached out to U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno, U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, and Vice President JD Vance, a Middletown native and graduate of Middletown High School, and is awaiting their response.”
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