After freezing more than $6 billion in education grants for K-12 schools nationwide, the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced Friday it had completed its review of grants and will release funds to states for programs for migrant students, English language learners, professional development, academic enrichment, and after-school programs.
OMB and the U.S. Department of Education under the Trump administration informed state education departments that it had frozen the grants on June 30, a day before the funds were supposed to be dispersed. They said it was to review the grant programs to ensure they aligned with President Trump's priorities.
The sudden freeze left Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana without millions in funding that had already been approved by Congress and the president earlier in the year. In total, more than $184 million was frozen in Ohio and $96 million in Kentucky, while Indiana found itself out more than $94 million.
About three weeks after the freeze, OMB announced it would unfreeze funds for after-school programs, but the other grant programs were still under review.
Despite the release of some of the promised funding, the Trump administration's decision prompted school districts, education advocates, states, and lawmakers to take action to claw the funding back with only weeks before the start of the school year.
Twenty-four states with Democratic governors and Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit against the administration, and soon after, another lawsuit was filed by the advocacy group Democracy Forward on behalf of several education organizations across the country, three school districts in Alaska, and Cincinnati Public Schools.
The Democracy Forward lawsuit claims the government's funding freeze would leave CPS without millions needed for Advanced Placement course curriculum, teacher training, and programming for 2,000 English language learner students. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to get the funds released.
Additionally, several Republican senators signed a letter asking the administration to release the funds immediately.
Although OMB says the remaining funds are now being released to states, education departments in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana are still waiting for the money to arrive, and were told by the U.S. Department of Education the grant programs may still be subject to review.
A notice sent to the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce, shared with WVXU, includes a statement from the federal department that threatens to revoke funding if programs are found to be not in compliance with federal law.
"To the extent that a grantee uses grant funds for such unallowable activities, the Department intends to take appropriate enforcement action, including under section 451 of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA), which may include the recovery of funds under section 452 of GEPA," the note from the U.S. Department of Education reads. "The Department also intends to conduct reviews of grantees’ use of funds to ensure ongoing compliance with the above provisions and all other applicable laws and regulations."
As of Tuesday, Democracy Forward has not yet dropped its lawsuit against the Trump administration, and a hearing for a preliminary injunction in the case is still scheduled for Aug. 13.
In a statement released Friday, Democracy Forward's president and CEO, Skye Perryman, said pressure from all sides forced the administration to release the grant funds, but there's no guarantee the federal government will completely follow through on its most recent claim.
“If these reports are true, this is a major victory for public education and the communities it serves,” Perryman wrote. "We will continue to monitor the situation and work in court to ensure the administration fully complies with the law and that these resources reach the schools and students who need them most. While this development shows that legal and public pressure can make a difference, school districts, parents, and educators should not have to take the administration to court to secure funds for their students."
National Education Association President Becky Pringle also expressed skepticism and concern over the federal government's seemingly erratic handling of education funding.
"Playing games with students’ futures has real-world consequences. School districts in every state have been scrambling to figure out how they will continue to meet student needs without this vital federal funding, and many students in parts of the country have already headed back to school. These reckless funding delays have undermined planning, staffing, and support services at a time when schools should be focused on preparing students for success," Pringle said.
Cincinnati Public School students head back to class in three weeks.
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