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.”
