An empty classroom at Gridley Middle School in Tucson. November 2020.
The U.S. Education Department is releasing more than $5 billion in education grant funding to states.
In late June, the Trump administration told states it was withholding these previously approved federal grants for further review. That announcement came a day before the July 1 deadline when those funds have traditionally been disbursed. The decision left many school districts scrambling in the lead up to the school year.
Earlier this month, the administration announced it would release grant funding for before- and after-school programs. Now, according to Madi Biedermann, deputy assistant secretary for communications at the Education Department, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) "has directed the Department to release all formula funds. The agency will begin dispersing funds to states next week."
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle lobbied to release the funds, citing financial strain on states and local communities. Several states have also sued the administration in an effort to get the funds released.
The grants that were held for review fund a wide range of education programs, including migrant education, services for English language learners and adult education.
The largest pot of grant money consisted of roughly $2.2 billion for professional development for educators. Tara Thomas, government affairs manager at The School Superintendents Association (AASA), told NPR districts often use these funds to help pay for continued teacher training.
"At the end of the day, it's really just funding that makes teachers better at their jobs," she said. It's not the first time the Trump administration has singled-out these programs: The administration's proposed FY 2026 budget eliminated all the grants that had been frozen.
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