HARRISONBURG, VA (Rocktown Now) – Harrisonburg City Schools will continue to operate, even in the face of this week’s government shutdown.

That’s according to Superintendent Dr. Michael Richards who says the 7 to 8-million dollars the school system receives from the federal government does not come in on a continuous basis.

“It’s not like we’re getting that money every day or every week. A lot of it is money that the state already has and then, of course, our local government has some of it already as well. So, the shutdown doesn’t really affect our daily operations.”

Richards also notes that important funding functions of the recently closed Department of Education that level the playing field across all school systems regarding education standards, students with disabilities, STEM, and Career and Technical Education — remain intact for the time being.