Rural School Districts Within US National Forests Brace for Funding Loss

The Secure Rural Schools program has funded schools in more than 700 counties across 41 states, but the money is never guaranteed long term.

Commercial logging in the Kaibab National Forest in Arizona. U.S. Forest Service, Southwestern Region, Kaibab National Forest, CC BY-SA

A financial crisis is looming in rural school districts across the country that many people have never heard of, local officials say.

Communities in 700-plus counties and 41 U.S. states with federally protected forest lands are exempt from property taxes, a primary revenue source for local school districts.