Latest news with #afterschool
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump administration unfreezes $1B in after-school funding: Source
The Trump administration has unfrozen over a billion dollars for critical after-school and summer education programming, a senior administration official told ABC News. "The programmatic review is over for 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC)," the senior administration official said. "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 said in a statement to ABC News. The official did not provide further details on the 'guardrails' for the program. 21st Century Community Learning Centers -- the chief federal funding stream for after-school and summer-learning programs -- supports more than 10,000 local programs serving more than 1 million children nationwide. Congress appropriated $1.329 billion for the programs this fiscal year. MORE: GOP senators urge Trump administration to reverse $6 billion education funding freeze ABC News' Aidan Gellert contributed to this report. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
After-school special: Latest Trump funding freeze hits summer classes midswing
The Trump administration is effectively shutting down a vast swath of summer programming and after-school activities after it froze more than $6 billion of funding to these programs this week. Schools and organizations across the country have already informed parents to look at alternative options for their children, saying if the funding isn't released soon, many activities will be canceled immediately. And the options to mount a legal challenge or find other funding sources seem limited, as lawsuits take time and many states have already set their budgets for the year. In Augusta, Ga., where more than 50 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, 1,100 kids daily go the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta, with about 200 employees ensuring the programming runs smoothly. 'We have summer camps rolling right now. I'm depending on a reimbursement in July. … If we don't get that, we have kids who won't be served,' said Kim Evans, the organization's president and CEO, adding her group typically receives $3 million from the federal government per year. 'We also have staff who are concerned about whether or not they're going to have a job,' Evans said. A Gallup poll found that 30 million students were involved in some kind of summer session in 2024. An estimated 3.3 million went to summer school, according to ThinkImpact. And 13 percent of K-12 students participate in after-school programming, according to federal data. The programs received no heads-up before the Education Department sent out memos that the funding would be paused, with no timeline for when it could be eventually released. The White House has said it is reviewing the funds due to alleged abuse and peddling a 'left-wing radical agenda.' 'This is an ongoing programmatic review of education funding. Initial findings have shown that many of these grant programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical leftwing agenda. In one case, NY public schools used English Language Acquisition funds to promote illegal immigrant advocacy organizations. In another, Washington state used funds to direct illegal immigrants towards scholarships intended for American students,' a spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget said. 'In yet another, School Improvement funds were used to conduct a seminar on 'queer resistance in the arts.' As stated before, this is an ongoing programmatic review and no decisions have been made yet,' the spokesperson added. But the clock is ticking. Evans said normal operations won't be able to last longer than a month before her group will have to start reducing the number of students served, programs offered and potentially staff on the payroll. Heidi Sipe, superintendent of the Umatilla School District in Oregon, said she has already sent out a message to families urging them to look at alternative after-school options for their kids if funding isn't restored. For roughly 20 years, after-school programs at the district were funded through the 21st Century Community Learning Center grant, allowing half of the student body to attend one or more after-school sessions every year. 'We started this program because of the great need that [parents] had, and that hasn't changed in that period of time. And so, they will really be put in a pretty precarious situation as they try to figure out how to best take care of their children during that gap between when school releases and when they are home,' Sipe said, adding that more than 700 students attended one or more of the six-week sessions offered throughout the school year. The programs offered at the school include the STEAM Academy of Umatilla, which focuses primarily on science, technology, engineering, arts and math, but also remedial academic help such as homework assistance or tutoring. Frantic talks about what to do are ongoing at programs nationwide, but advocates are not optimistic about alternative funding options right now. Trying to raise the money organically in such a short amount of time is an impossible task, Evans said, and lawsuits take months or years to get through the courts. While a switch in priorities between presidential administrations is typical, Sipe said the federal government, normally, will let the contract time run its course instead of immediately taking away the money. 'What's abnormal this time is that it's happening in the middle of a grant cycle. So, instead of future grant opportunities not being available and us having a couple of years as this grant cycle finishes out, to be able to plan for that — instead, it's right in the middle of our grant cycle,' Sipe said. 'We don't have the opportunity at a month's notice, basically, to secure over $500,000 worth of funding. That's not something that's going to happen in a month. And so, unfortunately, that will mean the end of after-school — as we currently know it — for our community, until we can develop some sort of solution, if that's possible,' she added. That abruptness been a common theme in the Trump administration's funding cuts, with multiple contract cancellations that have thrown K-12 and higher education leaders into a tailspin. Sixteen Democratic-led states sued this week over the Trump administration's $1 billion in cuts to mental health resources for schools. Teacher preparation programs and funding for education research were also suddenly pulled at the beginning of the administration, while colleges and universities have lost billions of dollars in funding. And more is likely on the way as Secretary of Education Linda McMahon looks to shutter the Department of Education. The administration has listed a range of concerns to explain its cuts and freezes. Some of the money, it says, has gone to funding left-wing priorities, such as gender identity, or issues that should not be under the purview of the federal government. Some universities are being punished specifically for their alleged inaction against antisemitism. The latest round of cuts, however, surprised Jodi Grant, executive director of the Afterschool Alliance. 'In many ways, these programs align with the president's agenda. They're community-based, they're locally driven, state-level, and, another piece, they're voluntary. So, parents choose to have their kids go to these programs. … We were actually hopeful that the Trump administration would help create more opportunities in this space,' Grant said. 'The whole campaign around Make America Healthy Again … after-school is a place where kids have all sorts of opportunities to engage in physical activity, whether it's soccer or baseball,' Grant added. 'There's just many things in our programming that align with this administration's priorities.' She predicts many programs that have wide bipartisan support in communities will have to close. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Billions in grants for summer school, English instruction delayed during Trump administration review
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is withholding more than $6 billion in federal grants for afterschool and summer programs, English language instruction, adult literacy and more as part of a review to ensure grants align with President Donald Trump's priorities. The move leaves states and schools in limbo as they budget for programs this summer and in the upcoming school year, introducing new uncertainty about when — or if — they will receive the money. It also sets the stage for a clash with Democrats, who say the administration is flouting the law by holding back money Congress appropriated. Without the money, schools say they won't be able to provide free or affordable afterschool care for low-income kids while their parents work, and they may not be able to hire staff to teach children who are learning English. Programs that rely on the funding were expecting it to be distributed July 1, but an Education Department notice issued Monday announced the money would not be released while the programs are under review. The department did not provide a timeline and warned 'decisions have not yet been made' on grants for the upcoming school year. 'The Department remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President's priorities and the Department's statutory responsibilities,' Education Department officials wrote in the notice, which was obtained by The Associated Press. The department referred questions to the Office of Management and Budget, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Some advocates fear the grants are being targeted for elimination, which could force schools to cut programs and teachers. Trump's 2026 budget proposal called for Congress to zero out all of the programs under review, signaling the administration sees them as unnecessary. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., pressed the administration to spend the money as Congress intended. 'Every day that this funding is held up is a day that school districts are forced to worry about whether they'll have to cut back on afterschool programs or lay off teachers instead of worrying about how to make sure our kids can succeed,' Murray said in a statement. A national organization for afterschool programs called the department's action a 'stunning betrayal.' 'Withholding these funds will cause lasting harm to students and families, and to our education system, our future workforce, and our economy,' said Jodi Grant, executive director of the Afterschool Alliance. The six grant programs under review includes one known as 21st Century Community Learning Centers. It's the primary federal funding source for afterschool and summer learning programs and supports more than 10,000 local programs nationwide, according to the alliance. Every state runs its own competition to distribute the grants, which totaled $1.3 billion this fiscal year. Also under review are $2 billion in grants for teachers' professional development and efforts to reduce class size; $1 billion for academic enrichment grants, often used for science and math education and accelerated learning; $890 million for students who are learning English; $376 million to educate the children of migrant workers; and $715 million to teach adults how to read. California's education agency said it was notified Monday that it wouldn't be receiving money from those programs. 'Trump is illegally impounding billions of dollars appropriated by Congress to serve students this fiscal year," Tony Thurmond, California's state superintendent, said in a statement. 'The Administration is punishing children when states refuse to cater to Trump's political ideology.' The administration had signaled its desire to cut much of the money in an April letter to Sen. Susan Collins, chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations. In that letter, Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said cutting money for teaching kids to speak English would help "end overreach from Washington and restore the rightful role of State oversight in education.' 'They're trying to send a message,' said Amaya Garcia, who oversees education research at New America, a left-leaning think tank. 'They don't believe that taxpayer funding should be used for these children.' ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
