The Trump administration is withholding $6.8 billion in federal funding for K-12 schools due for distribution on July 1. Department of Education staff informed state education agencies on the day before the funding, by law, was required to start flowing.
Funding is being blocked for the following programs:
Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants (Title II-A), which support professional development and other activities to improve the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders, including reducing class size.
English Language Acquisition (Title III-A), which supports language instruction to help English language learners become proficient in English.
21st Century Community Learning Centers (Title IV-B), which support high-quality before and after-school programs focused on providing academic enrichment opportunities for students.
Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants (Title IV-A), which provide flexible funding for school districts for a wide range of activities including supporting STEM education, accelerated learning courses, college and career counseling, school-based mental health services, and improving school technology, among many others.
Migrant Education (Title I-C), which supports the educational needs of migratory children, including children of migrant and seasonal farm workers.
Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants (including Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education State Grants), which support adult education and literacy programs to provide the basic skills to help prepare adults and out-of-school youth for success in the workforce.
Reaction to the unprecedented move has been swift. During a hastily convened press conference hosted by the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE), Margarita Machado-Casas, NABE president, stressed the immediate harm of the decision, saying, “These are not new funds,” Machado-Casas said. “English language learners cannot wait. Districts cannot wait. Teachers cannot wait. These are not abstract numbers. These are programs, staff positions and lifelines for millions of students who deserve equitable access to education.”
Cali State Superintendent Tony Thurmond commented, “The President is completely disregarding the democratic process by impounding dollars already budgeted, rather than trying to make his case for cuts to elected representatives sent to Congress by the American people to make these decisions. In the notification we received, the Trump Administration provides no legal justification for withholding these dollars from our students. The Administration is punishing children for the sole reason that states refuse to cater to Trump’s political ideology,” said Superintendent Thurmond. “The Administration is withholding funds that employ vital school staff who provide critical resources and supports for learning for all students. Every child will feel the impact of this disruption delivered shortly before the start of the school year, when our students, educators, and families should be anticipating the year ahead and making plans to support our children’s learning and growth.”
U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) issued the following statement, “Just weeks away from the start of the school year, the Trump Administration has managed to find trillions of dollars in tax breaks for billionaires but went out of their way to freeze education funding that Trump, himself, signed into law. That’s not just wrong for our students — it’s wrong for our economy, too.”