The shutdown is hurting schools whose budgets are mostly federal money

By ANNIE MA, Associated Press Education Writer

In Chinle, Arizona, financial distress caused by the government shutdown has led to the suspension of after-school programs, including some that students rely on for meals.

Federal money makes up only a small part of most school budgets in the U.S. But at Chinle Unified School District — spread across 4,200 square miles in the heart of Navajo Nation — half of the revenue comes from a single federal program, called Impact Aid.

Most school districts rely largely on local property taxes to fund teacher salaries and building upgrades. But school districts like Chinle that include Native American reservations, military bases or other federal compounds have fewer options for raising local taxes for education. Federal land isn’t taxable, and th