SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Nexstar) -- The Lackland Independent School District is by far not the biggest school district in Texas, but it is unique. It's located within the Lackland Air Force Base in west San Antonio serving roughly 1,000 military-connected students. Because of its location the school can not collect any local property taxes, meaning half of its budget comes from Impact Aide -- a federal educational grant program that reimburses school districts for any loss of revenue because of nontaxable federal property, including Indian Reservations. Impact Aide is handled by a division within the Department of Education. Last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to effectively dismantle the agency and called it a failed experiment. Dr. Burnie Roper, the superintendent for Lackland ISD, has been watching the situation closely. Because his district relies so heavily on Impact Aide, any kind of payment delay can be difficult for him and his staff. "It's important that money gets here in a timely manner," Roper explained. The Department of Education announced earlier this month it is cutting its staff in half. Those cuts are affecting every division inside the department and some division will require "significant reorganization," the statement read. Roper said he is worried the staffing cuts and lack of a plan at the federal level for the future of the agency could lead to payment delays. "If we didn't get it we'd probably have to shut our doors," Roper explained. The National Association of Federally Impacted Schools (NAFIS) released a statement earlier this month in response to the staffing reduction. It echoes the same concerns Roper has about timely payments. The San Antonio superintendent is the president of the NAFIS Texas chapter and has been advocating for Impact Aide in D.C. Department of Education building in Washington D.C. (Photo Courtesy: Nexstar) Roper said there are discussions at the federal level to move divisions currently within the Department of Education to other federal agencies. If the division that handles Impact Aide is to be moved, he said hopes it moves into the Treasury Department and not the Department of Defense. "We don't want our program swallowed up with the Department of Defense," he explained. He has been at the helm of the district since 2009 and has experienced payment delays in the past. One year, Roper recalled, his district went through a majority of the school year before finally getting a payment from the federal government in April. Dr. Burnie Roper sits at his desk at Lackland ISD's district office (Photo Courtesy: Nexstar) "It depends how everything is flowing in Washington," Roper said. If Congress is in a fight to pass an appropriations bill that means half of his funding is on the line. When Congress passes continuing resolutions to avoid government shutdowns, his district only gets a portion of its Impact Aide funding. Because of the uncertain nature at the federal level, Roper said his district sometimes has to tap into its healthy fund balance, which is the district's savings account, so they can pay teachers, feed students and maintain buildings. State law mandates a district keep three months operating expenses in the balance. Roper also points out he is getting hit from both sides, saying the state is not funding school districts at the level it should be. Texas lawmakers are in session now discussing school financing bills. "I think it's important they [lawmakers] understand school districts are really suffering right now," Roper said. Although his district is not as large as some of the biggest districts in Texas, Roper said his schools play an important role for the women and men stationed at Lackland Air Force Base. "When our parents deploy and they leave their kids here, it's important for them to know that we're taking good care of their kids so they can focus on the mission they were sent to do," he said. 'A lot of uncertainty' The president said the Department of Education will continue to payout federal educational grant programs like Impact Aide, Title 1, and IDEA, but will have to do it with half the staff it previously had. Margaret Spellings, the former Secretary of Education under the George W. Bush administration and now CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center, wonders if the largely reduced staff is able to continue the work of the agency. She said the biggest function of the Department of Education is financial aide for higher education, with a minor, but significant role, in handling investments into programs like Title 1 and IDEA, which help special education and poorer students. But the agency is also a backstop for civil rights issues. Sadly, Spellings explained, that backstop is needed as hundreds of cases make their way to the agency every year. Spellings said Americans have an interest in making sure the playing field in education is level, giving every child, no matter their geographical location or family income, the same chances to a good education. But she worries the direction of the Department of Education is taking away the tools to ensure those federal programs are being invested correctly. "I worry that both we're ill-served as taxpayers -- and more importantly -- that students are ill-served," Spellings said. But as we enter this time of uncertainty, Spellings is worried it is distracting away from the need to improve education. "It makes me wonder about whether we're distracting ourselves from our incredible need to focus on reading, and math, and the early grades -- and of course, affordability and quality of higher education," Spellings said. An interesting development she said she will keep her eyes on moving into the future is if Title 1 funds will be used to augment funding for a state-run school choice program. School choice is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, issue being discussed by Texas lawmakers this session. There are currently two proposals on the table for lawmakers that would create an Education Savings Account (ESA) program. An ESA would give public dollars to families that can be used to pay for tuition at private schools. Both proposals at the Capitol would fund the program with $1 billion from the state's budget surplus. Currently Title 1 funds can not be used for that purpose, but Congress could enact legislation that could open up those funds to be utilized in a school choice program. State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D - Austin, filed two bills this session that would require the Texas Education Agency to send federal educational grants directly to school districts. Both of those bills were filed right at the bill deadline and have not been referred to a committee yet. "We're for efficiency, but we need those dollars to go to the classroom and the students who deserve them," Hinojosa said during a news conference. ...read more read less