On the potential federal government shutdown (again)

 ...which even EdWeek is saying "(again)" about. 

There is no good news here, so please enjoy this chicken.

First, a lot of what I wrote in 2013 is still the case, as two things still hold true:

1. Most funding for K-12 education does not come from the federal government, anyway.
2. The way most of that funding comes to schools is done in a way that doesn't get hit short term.

As District Administration notes in their coverage of this, the first things schools are likely to see is the community hit:

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits—also known as food stamps—would only be guaranteed through October and federal funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) would run out a few days into a shutdown, CNN reports. Food banks, Meals on Wheels and housing assistance programs would also be disrupted, causing continued uncertainty for families.

There are, of course, exceptions, most notably federal impact aid and Head Start:

The biggest impact could be that, the longer a government shutdown lasts, school staff will likely have to contend with growing needs in surrounding communities. Some 10,000 children would immediately lose access to Head Start because grants would not be awarded during a shutdown. And, The White House warns, the impacts on the pre-K program would worsen over time.

 If we go longer, then we reasonably can worry about things like federal lunch reimbursement. 

What I have yet to see is anyone talking about the flow of ESSER funding to schools; if you see anything on that one, let me know.

UPDATE: The Department of Education today has released this letter, outlining its plans if the shutdown happens. See the chart below for a summary.

ESSER is the balance of a multi-year appropriation, which is listed as exempt in the first paragraph of the letter.