The Trump administration froze more than $6 billion in grant funding nationwide for K-12 schools last week. The education departments of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana told WVXU the U.S. Department of Education is withholding millions specifically for programs geared toward students learning English, migrant students, adult education, professional development, and after-school programs, while the administration reviews the grants.
"The Department remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President’s priorities and the Department’s statutory responsibilities," a portion of a statement sent to states read.
State education departments say the federal government hasn't specified how long the reviews may take, leaving them with large financial gaps they were expecting to fill with previously promised funds that have since been withdrawn.
Programs at risk
One of the initiatives affected by the freeze is Ohio's 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, which provides children from low-income households with educational opportunities and experiences during the school year and in the summer.
One of the groups that benefits from the federal funding managed by CCLC is FamiliesFORWARD, which runs a program for students at Carson School and Hays-Porter School in Cincinnati. That program sends them to the Cincinnati Nature Center for free summer camp activities.
During their visit on Tuesday, students learned about bird banding and got to touch and study birds up close.
Cincinnati Nature Center Camp Director Kelly Steyer says that's something most of these kids never had a chance to do before.
"All around, that's why I love camp," she said. "Kids get to experience things for the first time."
The same day, groups of kids also went on a short hike to the Nature Center's creek and swam in a natural pool next to a waterfall.
Michelle Toney, the executive director of FamiliesFORWARD, says while the program has diverse funding sources, it relies heavily on federal support. Without it, these kids would likely be spending their summers indoors.
"We know that not serving those children means that many of those kids will have to go home, and go home unassisted," Toney told WVXU.
Toney is calling upon the local community to push Ohio's lawmakers in Washington to call for these paused educational grants to be reinstated right away.
"Just take a look to understand the impact that the cutting and freezing of these funds could potentially have on our communities, students, and the families we serve," Toney said.
For now, kids in the program can still spend their days away from school learning about nature, but with little information about the review process and no timeline from the U.S. Department of Education, Toney worries this program, and several others serving low-income kids in Cincinnati, could be washed away.
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