Trump administration freezes $6 billion in grants
Update (July 25): The White House announced it would release $5.5 billion in frozen education funds. Last week, the White House said it would release $1.3 billion for after-school programs that had been withheld.
School districts in the Highlands say they may lose a combined $140,000 this year under a Trump administration order to freeze over $6 billion in federal education grants.
The administration froze the funds this month pending a review to ensure that “taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the president’s priorities.”
In Beacon, the district expected to receive $62,000 for professional development, $32,000 for a range of programs such as social-emotional learning and curriculum mapping software, and $7,000 for English as a New Language services, said Superintendent Matt Landahl.
“We’ve relied on these funds for years,” he said. Although the grants represent a small portion of the district’s $87.7 million budget, “when we have to replace this with our own funding, we’re having to make decisions about things we haven’t had to make decisions about before.”
“Under Review”
The Trump administration said it hasn’t made any decision on how much funding it would release for six programs appropriated by Congress. At risk are the following programs and funding amounts, nationally:
$2.19 billion for Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants, which work to reduce class sizes and pay for professional development for educators
$1.33 billion for 21st Century Community Learning Centers, which are before- and after-school programs that provide academic enrichment for students and are an important source of subsidized childcare for working parents
$1.38 billion for Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants, a flexible funding stream that pays for services including mental health, accelerated learning and college counseling
$890 million for English Language Acquisition, used for English proficiency and language instruction
$376 million for Migrant Education, funding that supports the needs of migratory children such as those whose parents are seasonal and migrant farm workers
$715 million for Adult Basic Literacy Education State Grants, programs that support adult education and literacy
Source: The Associated Press
Landahl said that some of the funds defray the costs of August workshops, including a program to help rising freshmen prepare for high school and a program for juniors and seniors to prepare for college-level work. Those programs are scheduled for Aug. 12 to 14 and will go on, he said.
At Haldane, the district may lose $15,000 that pays part of the salary of a reading teacher, said Gail Duffy, the superintendent. She said the district also could lose $10,000 for professional development. She said the district would make up for the loss with reserve funds, or savings.
The Garrison district typically receives $10,000 in federal grants for assistance with a technology platform and $5,400 to help pay for a small portion of a teacher’s salary, said Greg Stowell, the superintendent.
Letitia James, the state attorney general, recently joined 22 other attorneys general and the governors of Pennsylvania and Kentucky in a lawsuit that calls the freeze illegal. Schools across New York could lose more than $460 million.
Jeff Simms contributed reporting.
