Trump administration releases $1 billion in California frozen education funds

California will receive nearly billion in previously frozen federal guidance funds after the Trump administration reversed class amid growing outrage and concern about the impacts to students across the nation The California Department of Schooling explained Thursday evening it had received official grant award notifications for several federally funded programs including programs supporting migrant students English language learners and adult schooling California schools have been waiting for these tools to serve students and now nearly billion of illegally impounded federal instruction funds will eventually reach our classrooms stated State Superintendent of Populace Instruction Tony Thurmond The Trump administration s delay created unacceptable uncertainty for our schools and harmed various of our the majority vulnerable students However we are moving swiftly to ensure these funds advocacy students educators and school communities without further interruption The funds had been frozen since June when the Trump administration alerted California and other states that the administration was withholding billion in congressionally approved school funds for several programs flagged for allegedly promoting a left wing agenda The money was due to arrive to schools July but the Trump administration announced the funds would not be distributed until bureaucrats had completed a review of programs consistency with President Donald Trump s priorities California commented approximately million in teaching funding was being withheld from the state funds that for decades have been used to encouragement educational programs for migrant children and English learners improve school conditions expand the use of device in classrooms and offer adult tuition and workforce improvement The Alameda County Office of Coaching commented it would have lost about from the federal funding freeze but for all of the school districts in the county that loss would have been million for the - school year As the funding freeze dragged on for weeks panic among educators and families grew And nearly a dozen Republican senators from the president s own party implored the Trump administration to release the funds in a letter to the Office of Management and Budget arguing the freeze would harm students families and local economies The Trump administration issued selected grant funding for California after-school and summer programs in late July Bay Area schools responses to the freeze varied Palo Alto Unified School District which relies primarily on local property taxes and less on federal funding commented the district had not right away anticipated any layoffs or real impact from the freeze Berkeley Unified School District revealed federal funding makes up only about of the district s total budget and the district was expected to receive approximately from the funding sources being withheld for the - school year funding that includes grant dollars that encouragement programs for instruction and English language learners Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District disclosed federal revenue equates to of the district s annual budget and it had been waiting to see how much of that would be impacted After the freeze was broadcasted numerous Bay Area school districts noted they were waiting for additional guidance from the California Department of Learning and anticipating immediate legal challenges to the freeze Those did materialize Related Articles Oakland coffee shop owner fires back after DOJ ADL lawsuits My words feel small in the rubble of lives lost Kamala Harris will not run for governor of California They revealed it Scrutiny of city manager Official fired during Trump s first term appointed president of embattled US Institute of Peace Trump says Japan will invest billion in US at his direction It may not be a sure thing California along with other states swiftly sued the Trump administration over the freeze arguing that the withholding of already allocated dollars was illegal and would outcome in schools being thrown into chaos and educational programs being forced to close It was not directly clear if the lawsuit prompted the administration to release the funds In a report Thursday Attorney General Rob Bonta celebrated the Trump administration s reversal of its blatantly illegal misguided effort to freeze critical coaching funds weeks before the start of the school year Let s be clear this funding should never have been frozen in the first place Bonta stated We re glad to see the administration back down from its illegal effort to withhold these funds but we can t lose sight of the long-term damage caused by the president s campaign of chaos and uncertainty California will not stop fighting to hold the president and his administration accountable to the law and to protect our children s educational future