Washington, D.C. — The US Forest Service announces they are issuing $182 million in retroactive Secure Rural Schools payments for 2024.
Congress let funding lapse in 2023 for the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program, then on December 18, 2025 funding was reauthorized. The program provides funds for schools, roads, and other municipal services to more than 700 counties across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
According to the Forest Service, 2024 payments were initially made under the 1908 revenue-sharing framework, as required by law. With reauthorization, the agency says it is now reconciling payments to ensure counties receive the full amounts owed under the program.
As detailed here the reauthorization bill provides payments to counties for Fiscal Year 2024, 2025 and through the end of Fiscal Year 2026. Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools Zack Abernathy estimated based on past years that in a Fiscal Year Tuolumne County may receive over $1 million that will be split between Tuolumne County schools and roads.
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz says, “The Forest Service’s annual payments provide reliable, predictable funding that rural states and counties depend on. These payments strengthen local schools and infrastructure while honoring the partnership between national forests and the communities that surround them.”
Since 1908, 25% of Forest Service revenue from timber sales, mineral leases, livestock grazing, recreation fees and other sources have been shared with states and counties containing national forests. By the 1990s, long-term reductions in timber revenue significantly reduced these payments, prompting Congress to enact the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 to provide more stable funding for at-risk local services. A portion of Forest Service funds are generated through multi-use activities, such as grazing, timber production, and special use permits, are distributed to eligible counties like Tuolumne, Calaveras, and Mariposa to help maintain local roads and schools.
