With mandatory across-the-board federal budget cuts looming, the U.S. Department of Education released its estimate of how much money local school districts stand to lose in Title I funding for low-income students:

Hillsborough: $3.44 million

Pasco: $853,000

Pinellas: $2.66 million

Statewide, the sequestration could lead to a $55.4 million reduction in Title I funding, or a cut in service to more than 96,000 students in as many as 132 schools, according to the USDOE. And these would not be the only cuts affecting the schools. (See this administration state estimate of cuts for more details.)

Secretary Arne Duncan said in a press release that this represented a "wrong choice," and urged parents, educators and others to "urge (lawmakers) to figure out a solution to avoid this."

See also the USDOE's recent blog post on sequestration for more information.