Political maneuvering resulted in the legislature reverting over $6.8M private school-designated EANS I and ARP/EANS II funds by June 30, 2023. Your legislative representative may or may not know of these actions.
WFIS is working with national and legal advisors to see if this action can be undone or rectified. If your school has been affected, we ask that you speak with us about the EANS shenanigans outlined below, with specific details about the complications for your school. Also, you can share your concerns with your elected representatives and the Governor’s Office.
EANS II
In late May, private schools were almost the last to learn that the timeline and amount of EANS 2 funding were reduced by over a year and more than a million dollars. Although OSPI had outlined September 2024 to spend EANS II funds as the federal rules indicate, the deadline is now June 30, 2023. Vendors contracted by OSPI were surprised by the news. No formal notice was presented to approved vendors about the invoice submission timeline change or the cut funding amounts. One vendor fired the teachers they had contracted with, fearing OSPI would be unable to pay them, and left the children and schools without teachers.
EANS I
Schools should submit EANS I reimbursement claims to OSPI by June 30, 2023, for goods/services received by this date. Contact OSPI’s Amy Harris to make needed adjustments to your EANS I budget.
OSPI only received authority from the legislature to spend $9.2 million in the 2023-25 biennium, which begins July 1, 2023. As of May 1, EANS I schools had $14.1 million left to spend, which means OSPI lost the authority to apply $4.8m that was initially obligated to the schools after June 30, 2023.
