The Trump administration on Monday moved to withhold a projected $6.8 billion nationwide in education funds \u2014 including at least $811 million from California \u2014 money appropriated by Congress to boost teacher training, after-school programs and classroom technology and to help students who are learning English and those who are from migrant families.<\/p>\n
Although the frozen funds make up less than 1% of California\u2019s total education budget, they have an outsize cumulative effect. And they involve dollars that already are accounted for in terms of staff hired and programs planned. The disruption would be substantial \u2014 and state education leaders, including Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, said Monday evening that the problems are unfolding immediately. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been many rumors about the Trump Administration cutting education funding, and now that rumors have become reality, it is worse than we imagined,\u201d Thurmond said in a statement to The Times. \u201cTrump is illegally impounding billions of dollars appropriated by Congress to serve students this fiscal year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis illegal action will harm students starting now,\u201d Thurmond added. \u201cIt cannot stand!\u201d<\/p>\n
The administration listed the frozen programs by their federal designation: Title III-A, for example, supports students who are learning English. Title I-C helps overcome the learning challenges of the children of migrant workers. Both programs had all their funds withheld.<\/p>\n
Word of the federal action began to trickle out to worried school systems Monday afternoon. The notification, in an email from the federal Department of Education, was 84 words in length \u2014 and, according to education officials and advocates, included no amplification:<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven the change in Administrations, the Department is reviewing the FY 2025 funding for the [Title I-C, II-A, III-A, IV-A, IV-B] grant program(s), and decisions have not yet been made concerning submissions and awards for this upcoming academic year,\u201d the email began. <\/p>\n
\u201cAccordingly, the Department will not be issuing Grant Award Notifications obligating funds for these programs on July 1 prior to completing that review.\u201d <\/p>\n
The notification concluded: \u201cThe Department remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President\u2019s priorities and the Department\u2019s statutory responsibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
The programs noted in the email make up more than 10% of federal spending on K-12 schools in 33 states, according to the Learning Policy Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n The targets of the freeze are not especially surprising \u2014 all of the withheld funds are from programs the administration wants to slash or eliminate. And those details \u2014 and the justification for them \u2014 are clearly spelled out in President Trump\u2019s budget proposal for the next federal fiscal year, which begins in October. <\/p>\n But the Trump administration is freezing funds that Congress approved for the fiscal year already in progress, which began in October 2024. Because of the way federal, state and local budgets line up, this money was due to reach states Tuesday and to be spent as part of the budget for the school district fiscal year, which begins Tuesday.<\/p>\n School districts \u2014 on the expectation they would receive these funds appropriated by Congress \u2014 have generally already hired those expected to carry out these programs; many are long-standing efforts.<\/p>\n The Education Department declined to comment late Monday \u2014 referring inquiries to the Office of Management and Budget. That office too had no immediate comment. <\/p>\n