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Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Unfrozen: White House releases remaining $5B for K-12 programs
This story was originally published on K-12 Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily K-12 Dive newsletter. The Trump administration will release the remaining fiscal year 2025 K-12 grant funds that it had frozen — nearly $5 billion — to states and districts, the Office of Management and Budget confirmed Friday. The funding for student academic supports, English learners, immigrant students and teacher training was supposed to be available July 1, but was not released pending a "programmatic review" by OMB, the White House's budget arm. That review was to ensure the grants align with Trump administration policies and priorities, OMB told K-12 Dive earlier this month. The office had said initial findings showed "many of these grant programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical leftwing agenda.' On Friday, a senior administration official told K-12 Dive in an email, "Guardrails are in place to ensure these funds will not be used in violation of Executive Orders or administration policy." Earlier this week, OMB began releasing $1.3 billion it had withheld for after-school and summer programming under the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant, according to the Afterschool Alliance. The remaining funds to be released are: $2.2 billion for Title II-A for professional development. $1.4 billion for Title IV-A for student support and academic enrichment. $890 million for Title III-A for English-learner services. $375 million for Title I-C for migrant education. Education officials, Republican and Democratic lawmakers, education organizations, parents and nonprofits had all urged OMB to release the funds that were approved by Congress in an appropriations bill that President Donald Trump signed in March. They said the weekslong delay in accessing the money was already causing "budgetary chaos" for schools, which began cancelling contracts, laying off staff and eliminating programs when the funds didn't arrive as scheduled. The disruption also spurred two lawsuits. A survey by AASA, the School Superintendents Association, found that nearly 30% of districts said they needed access to the withheld funds by Aug. 1 to avoid cutting programs and services for students. By Aug. 15, survey respondents said they would have to notify parents and educators about the loss of programs and services. The survey was conducted earlier this month and drew responses from 628 superintendents in 43 states. On Friday, David Schuler, AASA's executive director, said in a statement that he was pleased the "critical" funds would now be available to schools. Sen Patty Murray, D-Wash., vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement Friday, "There is no good reason for the chaos and stress this president has inflicted on students, teachers, and parents across America for the last month, and it shouldn't take widespread blowback for this administration to do its job and simply get the funding out the door that Congress has delivered to help students." Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, addressed the news during a keynote speech Friday at the Together Educating America's Children conference in Washington, D.C., according to a press release. "Today, they backed down: our lobbying, our lawsuits, and our advocacy for why these funds matter to kids, it worked." Weingarten said. Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, said in a Friday statement, "These reckless funding delays have undermined planning, staffing, and support services at a time when schools should be focused on preparing students for success.' Recommended Reading Lawsuit adds pressure on Trump administration to release K-12 funds Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Axios
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Trump administration releases portion of frozen North Carolina education funding
The U.S. Department of Education has released a portion of North Carolina's $165 million in education funding frozen by the Trump administration, the state's education department announced Monday night. Why it matters: The nearly $36 million in funding released will allow North Carolina's after-school and summer programs to continue operating. The programs, which served more than 10,000 K-12 students last year, "provide critical academic support and safe environments for students, particularly those in high-poverty areas," North Carolina's Department of Public Instruction said in a statement. Catch up quick: North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is one of a dozen attorneys general nationwide who are suing the U.S. Department of Education for withholding more than $6 billion in education funding nationwide. Those funds were expected to be accessible July 1. North Carolina's portion of that — more than $165 million — made up more than 10% of the state's federal education funding. The freeze comes amid what the Trump administration's Office of Management and Budget called an "ongoing programmatic review" and pointed to initial findings that they said "show that many of these grant programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical leftwing agenda," Axios' Avery Lotz reported earlier this month. Driving the news: Nearly 30 statewide full-time jobs would have been in jeopardy had the federal government not released $36 million as part of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, which supports academic enrichment during non-school hours, per data released by North Carolina's Department of Justice. Wake, Durham and Charlotte-Mecklenburg school districts had not been awarded any funding under that program, according to the data. State of play: Around $130 million in K-12 education funding remains frozen and under review, North Carolina's education department said. More than 900 jobs remain at risk. Those funds come from four programs, which support migrant children, help students learn English, ensure the "quality and effectiveness of educators," and improve school conditions and the use of technology to improve academic achievement, according to the Learning Policy Institute, which conducts research to improve education policies.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Some Maryland after-school programs got restored federal funding. Adult education is still waiting.
The Trump administration's decision Friday to release some of the $110 million earmarked for Maryland's educational system will likely help a single after-school grant program but still leaves other programming in doubt. The Department of Education announced that it will release $1.3 billion in nationwide educational funding out of the $6.8 billion it was scheduled to be disbursed on or about July 1. Multiple states, including Maryland, are now involved in litigation to recover the rest of the money. The Maryland State Department of Education expects to get $22.6 million of the $110 million back, spokesperson Cherie Duvall-Jones said. But, as of Monday, the state had not received any of that promised grant money. All of that will fund the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, a grant program that supports students and families, particularly those from low-income schools. The 21st Century Community Learning Center program 'provides comprehensive after-school and summer programs that have academic components, enrichment components, that are really sort of the creme de la creme … of out-of-school time because they are so robust,' said Ellie Mitchell, director of the Maryland Out of School Time Network, a state professional association for after-school and summer programs. Organizations relying on its grants were at risk of closure when Mitchell spoke with The Baltimore Sun before the Trump administration said it would restore some of the withheld funding Friday afternoon. 'We're really changing the trajectory of young people's lives with after-school [programs]. And if you take that away, we're not going to be able to reach Maryland's ambitious goals around improving literacy, improving math, improving school-day attendance,' she said. Students at Village Learning Place, a grant recipient in north Baltimore's Charles Village neighborhood, typically improve in those areas throughout the school year, according to Deputy Director Annie Malone. The center serves about 200 children from preschool through 12th grade each year. It holds a three-year grant under the initiative, which must be renewed annually. The grant provides them with over $350,000 each year, which Hayes described as a 'stable base' for the organization to build upon, along with other funding sources. 'It would be devastating for us to not have that funding,' said Siobhán Hayes, Village Learning Place's executive director. Meanwhile, a Baltimore adult education program didn't receive any reassurances Monday about federal funding it receives through the federal Department of Labor. 'This time of year, we depend on a really huge payment that gets dropped,' said Melissa Smith, executive director of the South Baltimore Learning Center in Federal Hill. Nearly a third of the almost $670,000 in grant money was supposed to arrive weeks ago. Without that money, notices signed by Smith are posted on the center's doors announcing a temporary closure. 'This summer semester, we enrolled over 180 learners, which is a record number. … And I had to turn them away.' The center employs 21 full- and part-time staff members and typically serves over 800 adult learners a year, according to Smith. 'We have to not ignore adult literacy and adult education because there are so many lives on the line,' Smith said. 'This place could be the reason why someone chooses not to commit a crime or not get incarcerated … because they have an option to get education versus making a poor choice.' The state Department of Labor declined to comment Monday on the partial restoration of funds. South Baltimore Learning Center is holding a rally Wednesday to advocate for its funding. It invited Mayor Brandon Scott and Gov. Wes Moore. Neither had accepted the invitation as of Monday afternoon. Baltimore County Public Schools does not expect any delay in services due to the cuts, spokesperson Gboyinde Onijala said in an email Monday. 'USDOE has only agreed to restore limited funding for afterschool programming, which was not one of the programs that directly affects our budget,' Andre Riley, spokesperson for Baltimore City Public Schools, said Monday. Regarding the remaining funds frozen by the Department of Education, 'we will face challenges in ensuring that staffing, materials, and other resources will be fully in place for the start of the 2025-2026 school year,' Riley wrote in an email. The withheld funds have the power to affect after-school programs statewide. The Howard County Public School System said in a statement Monday that while federal funding isn't its primary source of revenue, it was concerned about the impacts withheld funds could have on multilingual learners, professional development and grants. 'HCPSS is awaiting additional details and guidance from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget/U.S. Department of Education and MSDE on if/when these allocations will be disbursed. In the meantime, HCPSS remains committed to providing students and families in Howard County with the top education they are accustomed to,' the district said. 'It's hard to imagine how we're going to improve education by decreasing the resources available to public schools. It just doesn't compute,' Mitchell said. Baltimore Sun reporter Kiersten Hacker contributed to this article. Have a news tip? Contact Racquel Bazos at rbazos@ 443-813-0770 or on X as @rzbworks. Solve the daily Crossword
The Hill
21-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump backtracks on after-school funding after bipartisan push
Stakeholders and lawmakers are cheering after the Trump administration ended a pause on $6 billion in federal after-school and summer school funding following rare bipartisan pushback. Advocates and states have been on the edge of their seats since President Trump declined to release the money, which also funds adult education and English language efforts, on the typical July 1 schedule, causing some programs to shut down and leaving others hanging by a thread. It is unclear if the full $6 billion will be unfrozen, but Aaron Dworkin, CEO of the National Summer Learning Association, told The Hill he is 'delighted' and 'grateful for our leaders for making continued investment.' 'All our partners are in the middle of running their programs right now and so not being sure whether or not they'd have enough funding to get through the whole summer, especially for programs that are serving the most vulnerable and low-income kids, there was a lot of uncertainty and nervousness,' Dworkin added. The win came one day after 10 GOP senators wrote to Trump's administration decrying the funding pause, but also after weeks of pressure from those involved, including a lawsuit from 24 Democratic-led states filed last Monday. 'We've been meeting with members and staff all week, and they're hearing from their constituents. The constituents themselves who are benefiting from these programs, who are relying on these programs, have been calling their members of Congress to let them know just how much these programs mean to them,' said Jodi Grant, executive director of the Afterschool Alliance. Fears were mounting every day, advocates said, as programs struggled to stay afloat. 'For some programs, they're starting to close, or have been starting to close immediately. The vast majority, I think, have a Band-Aid' and will be OK after the pause, Grant said. The Trump administration had said it put the funds under review over concerns the money was going to a 'leftwing radical agenda.' A senior administration official said Friday the 'programmatic review is over for 21 st Century Community Learning Centers (21 st CCLC). Funds will be released to the states. Guardrails have been put in place to ensure these funds are not used in violation of Executive Orders.' The official did not clarify what those guardrails might be or the exact date the funding will be released. Risa Woods, a former teacher for English learners turned education consultant, saw her efforts to help school districts stall during the funding pause. 'I created my own educational consulting business so I could train teachers,' she said, and schools were lining up contracts with her services before the funding pause. 'School districts would email me and say, 'We'd really love you to come, but we don't have the funds. The funds have been frozen, and we'd love to maybe follow up with you later if they are released,'' Woods said. While Republicans have been either enthusiastic or mum about a wide range of Trump's education cuts, the after-school and summer programming appeared to be a step too far for at least 10 Senate Republicans. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito ( who led the GOP letter opposing the freeze, celebrated on X, saying the funds were released in 'direct response' to their opposition. In their letter, the Republican senators argued the funding in fact aligns with Trump's goal of putting education in state and local control, which means they might also object to any federal 'guardrails' on it. 'It's correct to think that the red states, but really every state, should want the fewest amount of restrictions on the dollars so that they could do what they want, and that that's consistent with the Trump administration's view of returning education to the states,' said Adam Kissel, visiting fellow in the Heritage Foundation's Center for Education Policy, 'So you just have to live with it if money is going to a blue state for blue state things and you don't like it, or conversely, if it's a blue administration, and money is going out to a red state to do red state things,' he added. While breathing a momentary sigh of relief, advocates acknowledge they have much work to do before next year, with Trump still target these and other education funds across multiple avenues. 'We remain deeply concerned that the administration is proposing $0 for 21st CCLC next year, instead collapsing it into a 'K-12 Simplified Funding Plan' with dramatically reduced support,' Grant said.
19-07-2025
- Business
Education Department will release some frozen grants supporting after-school and summer programs
WASHINGTON -- The Education Department will release $1.3 billion in previously withheld grant money for after-school programs, days after 10 Republican senators sent a letter imploring the Trump administration to allow frozen education money to be sent to states. President Donald Trump's administration on July 1 withheld more than $6 billion in federal grants for after-school and summer programs, adult literacy and English language instruction, part of a review to ensure spending aligned with the White House's priorities. In a letter sent Wednesday, Republican senators said the withheld money supported programs that had longstanding bipartisan support and were critical to local communities. The money had been appropriated by Congress in a bill that was signed by Trump. 'We share your concern about taxpayer money going to fund radical left-wing programs,' the senators wrote to the Office of Management and Budget. 'However, we do not believe that is happening with these funds.' The administration's review of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, which support after-school and summer programming, has been completed, a senior official said Friday. The person declined to be identified so they could share progress from the review. That funding will be released to states, the official said. The rest of the withheld grants, close to $5 billion, continues to be reviewed for bias by the Office of Management and Budget. Without the money, school districts and nonprofits such as the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club of America had said they would have to close or scale back educational offerings this fall. The money being released Friday pays for free programming before and after school and during the summer. The programs provide child care so low-income parents can work, and they give options to families who live in rural areas with few other child care providers. Beyond just child care, kids receive reading and math help at the programs, along with enrichment in science and the arts. Despite the money's release Friday, schools and nonprofits have already been disrupted by two weeks of uncertainty. Some programs have made plans to close, and others have fallen behind on hiring and contracting for the fall. 'While we are thrilled the funds will be made available," said Jodi Grant, executive director of the Afterschool Alliance, 'the administration's inexplicable delay in disbursing them caused massive chaos and harm." Many after-school programs had canceled plans to open in the fall, she said. On Monday, more than 20 states had filed a lawsuit challenging the $6 billion funding freeze, including the money for English language instruction, teacher development and adult literacy that remains on hold. The lawsuit, led by California, argued withholding the money was unconstitutional and many low-income families would lose access to critical after-school care if the grants were not released. David Schuler, executive director of AASA, an association of school superintendents, praised the release of after-school money but said that the remaining education funding should not be withheld. 'Districts should not be in this impossible position where the Administration is denying funds that had already been appropriated to our public schools, by Congress,' Schuler said in a statement. 'The remaining funds must be released immediately — America's children are counting on it.' Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, who chairs the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that oversees education spending, led the letter sent this week by Republican senators, protesting the funding freeze. The letter called for the rest of the money to be released, including funds for adult education and teaching English as a second language. 'The decision to withhold this funding is contrary to President Trump's goal of returning K-12 education to the states,' the senators wrote. 'This funding goes directly to states and local school districts, where local leaders decide how this funding is spent.' Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, called on the White House to release the rest of the money. 'At this very moment, schools nationwide are crunching the numbers to figure out how many teachers they will need to lay off as Trump continues to hold up billions in funding,' Murray said Friday in a statement. 'Every penny of this funding must flow immediately.'
