Latest news with #StudentSupportandAcademicEnrichment
Politico
17 hours ago
- Business
- Politico
Education Department set to pause billions in grants to states amid ‘review'
The Trump administration will withhold billions of federal education dollars from states and local schools that were expected to be available on July 1, according to notices sent to federal grantees on Monday. It's a move with the potential to imperil afterschool programs, teacher training initiatives and education for migrant students. Some education advocacy groups estimate that approximately $5 billion is at stake. According to the notice delivered to federal grantees, the contents of which were described to POLITICO on condition of anonymity by officials familiar with the matter, the administration is still reviewing fiscal 2025 grant funding for the affected programs. It has not yet made decisions about awards for the upcoming academic year, and will not obligate their funds on Tuesday before that review is complete. 'The Department remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President's priorities and the Department's statutory responsibilities,' the agency said in written communications to states about its plans. It's unclear how long the spending review might last or when the federal funds might be distributed. But the delay could leave states and schools facing immediate pressure to find ways to keep education programs running and balance their budgets for the coming academic year. The Education Department referred questions to the Office of Management and Budget. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Officials said the affected funds include money for state teacher training grants; summer and after-school programs funded under the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program; the Student Support and Academic Enrichment grant program; and funds for migrant education programs plus students who speak limited English. The impact of the decision will be felt across multiple jurisdictions. The funds being withheld from the affected programs represent at least 10 percent of the federal K-12 education spending in 33 states and territories, according to estimates published Monday by the Learning Policy Institute, a nonpartisan nonprofit think tank. The administration has telegraphed the possibility that it would not distribute the funds by July 1 for months in spending plans submitted to Congress and testimony to lawmakers, raising worries and growing criticism among school advocacy organizations and congressional appropriators about the potential fiscal impact on school systems. 'The administration must make the full extent of title funding available in a timely manner,' said Carissa Moffat Miller, head of the Council of Chief State School Officers, in a statement to POLITICO. 'These funds were approved by Congress and signed into law by President Trump in March. Schools need these funds to hire key staff and educate students this summer and in the upcoming school year.' OMB director Russell Vought suggested to Senate appropriators last week that the congressionally approved funding could be the target of a future rescissions package. President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon have also proposed cutting off some of the affected programs in their budget pitch for the coming year. Vought has discussed using a controversial tactic known as a 'pocket rescission' to defy Congress' funding directives. To do that, the Trump administration would have to send additional budget rescission requests to Congress in the final weeks of the fiscal year, which runs through September. Earlier this month, OMB directed several agencies to freeze upwards of $30 billion in spending on a broad array of programs, POLITICO's E&E News reported. Even if lawmakers vote to approve or reject the requests, the White House could let the funding expire by withholding it through Sept. 30. 'School districts rely on these critical funds to comply with federal law,' Tara Thomas, the government affairs manager for AASA, The School Superintendents Association, said in a statement. 'Withholding these resources simply pushes more unfunded mandates on schools — placing additional strain on already limited budgets — and the consequences will be felt by all students and across all classrooms,' Thomas said. Rebecca Carballo contributed to this report.
Boston Globe
24-06-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Some federal education dollars flow to N.H. amid concern about Trump administration cuts
The state agency said it has received preliminary allocations from the federal government for several programs, which it will calculate and then distribute to school districts. 'Despite recent concerns that education grants could be drastically reduced, New Hampshire has received equal to or even more funding for specific formula grants than it did last year,' said Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut in a statement. Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up 'This investment ensures that federal dollars are reaching our local classrooms where they are needed the most for low-income students and our highest needs students, while also alleviating concerns that these important services could be in jeopardy,' he said. Advertisement Some education experts said the news came as a welcome relief. 'This is good news for our students,' said Deb Howes, president of the teacher's union American Federation of Teachers of New Hampshire. 'We were very concerned that we might lose something as they're trying to figure out what to do with the federal budget.' But other education experts said there are still concerns about federal funding for education moving forward into 2026. Advertisement 'We're seeing Republicans at the federal level trying to slash funding for public schools, and trying to rework how schools are being funded,' said Christina Pretorius, education justice campaign director with Engage NH, a pro-public education nonprofit. Here's a breakdown of the funding that's been announced so far. : These grants are supposed to offer supplemental support to students through accelerated education programs and professional development for school personnel. Preliminary 2025 award: $46,343,728 2024 award: $44,646,631 : These grants are given to local education agencies, career and technical schools, and community colleges to strengthen Career and Technical Education that prepares students to enter the workforce. Preliminary 2025 award: $7,020,601 2024 award: $7,020,601 : This funding supports special education, early intervention services, and discretionary grants so children with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education. Preliminary 2025 award: $56,713,037 2024 award: $56,713,037 : This is the Student Support and Academic Enrichment grant program, which is supposed to improve school conditions for student learning and use technology to further academic achievement. Preliminary 2025 award: $6,358,350 2024 award: $6,326,558 : This funding is to help children experiencing homelessness and address challenges in enrolling, attending, and succeeding in school. Preliminary 2025 award: $350,796 2024 award: $323,138 This article first appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, our free newsletter focused on the news you need to know about New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles from other places. If you'd like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, Advertisement Amanda Gokee can be reached at
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump cuts to Department of Education spark divided reaction in New Hampshire
The Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building in Washington, D.C., pictured on Nov. 25, 2024. (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom) A planned reduction of the duties of the U.S. Department of Education by President Donald Trump has rattled teachers and administrators throughout the nation. But educators and state officials have differing views on how much the cuts could affect New Hampshire. On March 11, the department laid off nearly 50 percent of its staff, following months of proposals by Trump to dismantle the federal department and allow states to distribute the money. Those staff members will be placed on leave March 21. Some in New Hampshire, including state Department of Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut, say they are open to a downsizing of the federal department — if it leads to block grant funding for states. 'As a department, we've been making plans for probably two months now, anticipating that it's likely that federal funds would be block-granted down into the state,' Edelblut said in an interview March 12. 'We've got a lot of mechanisms in place already to be able to receive these funds and to distribute them through to the schools, because we're primarily a pass-through entity.' Others are skeptical school districts will receive the same amount of funds if the federal grant programs are eliminated — especially if state lawmakers make changes. 'Education cuts are going to lead to larger class sizes, less support for students and educators, potentially not having special ed funding, things like that,' said Megan Tuttle, president of the National Education Association of New Hampshire. 'It really could end up getting to the point of rural schools closing.' Tuttle said the firing of employees would make the existing grant programs work less efficiently, even if the block grant system is never implemented. And she raised concerns about the staff cuts to the Office for Civil Rights, which she said could affect students of color and students with disabilities, and to departments overseeing data collection and student assessments. New Hampshire — like all states — receives a number of regular federal education grants. In the year ending July 2024, it received $51.2 million from Title I, which is designed to support schools with low-income students to bridge achievement gaps, according to analysis by the Education Law Center, a nonprofit group, which used U.S. Department of Education data. In the same time period, the state received $61.7 million in Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funds, which go toward special education services, as well as $26.9 million across a range of other grants. Those include the Supporting Effective Instruction program, which supports professional development programs to help teachers improve student outcomes; the Student Support and Academic Enrichment program; 21st Century Community Learning Centers; and a number of smaller grant programs designed to target rural school districts, according to the Education Law Center. In general, the federal government supplies about 10 percent of education funding across the country; the other 90 percent is supplied by state and local governments – in New Hampshire primarily through property taxes. Trump and his supporters have floated a block grant program to send much of those funds to states — which could then spend it as it sees fit. It is unclear how that might be achieved; many of the grant programs, such as Title I and IDEA, are established in statute and would require congressional action to fully dismantle. But New Hampshire leaders are beginning to explore the possibility of block grants. Earlier this month, Edelblut — who is departing the office at the end of the school year — met with state Senate Republican leadership to discuss how the state would respond to a shift to block grants, according to senators. The commissioner's message: The state could take the reins from the federal government and keep the funds flowing to school districts as before. 'Title I has a really good purpose, right? And it does (serve) a really good need, right?' said Sen. Tim Lang, who was present at that meeting, in an interview. 'To help with kindergarten, to be able to get those teachers to be able to get reading classes and those kind of things for students that are underperforming. So we want to keep those things in place. We don't want to see them removed.' Edelblut and Lang say New Hampshire already has mechanisms for distributing aid to schools. But that does not necessarily mean lawmakers will choose to continue those programs. A block grant program would give the Legislature discretion to reappropriate the money toward any number of priorities, including school choice programs that could see fewer dollars going to public schools. 'I would assume that funding like this that comes into the state, the Legislature would want to weigh in on how that's used,' Edelblut said. 'They're not going to leave it up to the agency. But my proposal to them is that we don't create new mechanisms — that we use the tools that we already have in place in order to make this work.' Lang said he does not see the need for New Hampshire to overhaul how it spends the federal education dollars. His preferred way for the state to spend the federal funds would be to carry on the Title I program at about the same funding levels, he said. But he added that there could be room for some adjustments. To do that, Lang said, the state could use the existing adequacy formula. 'We could still — using the formula and the metrics we have that we put in place last budget cycle — use those metrics to be able to disburse the money out, even if it came in through a block grant,' he said. For schools with higher populations of low-income students, who currently benefit from the Title I program, 'we'd be able to target that money using those formulas we put in place to be able to get the money back where it belongs,' Lang added. Lang said lawmakers and the Department of Education could sift through the current spending and make changes if there are any programs that don't fit into New Hampshire's needs. They could also choose to prioritize programs such as reading programs, he said. 'I think that … we may nibble around the edges of it and change some things, if it gives us the opportunity to be more flexible,' he said. But he added that many of the federal grants received by the state will extend into Fiscal Year 2027, which means state lawmakers would not need to make decisions quickly. Should the process happen quickly, he said the Legislature could meet on an emergency basis. Tuttle says she is not as confident the state can take the place of the federal government should a block grant system be implemented. And Tuttle argued that if the Legislature had power over how the grants are spent, funding could change. 'Just saying, 'Well, we're putting the money back in the state' — I think our state has shown they're not really interested right now in funding public education adequately,' she said. 'They're also not really interested in funding special education.'
