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On June 30, the U.S. Department of Education told states that it was placing a hold on $6.8 billion in federal education funding for the coming school year despite a July 1 disbursement date enshrined in federal law. The withheld money was supposed to pay for seven federal education programs, including professional development programs for teachers and before- and after-school programs for students.
According to President Donald Trump’s administration, the seven programs in question are currently under “ongoing programmatic review” to ensure taxpayer resources are being spent in accordance with the president’s priorities and the DOE’s statutory responsibilities. The freeze has drawn criticism from elected officials across the country—Republicans included—as well as from a broad coalition of education organizations.
Nearly $120 million is being held back from Louisiana, according to DOE funding allocation tables. Even so, State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley struck an optimistic tone when asked about the freeze on Monday, praising the move by Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon as a necessary reexamination of how federal education dollars are put to use.
“This temporary review ensures that taxpayer dollars provide a positive impact for Louisiana students,” Brumley told Daily Report via email. “Previous administrations have placed burdensome obstacles on federal dollars that have hindered our autonomy and stifled academic innovation. I applaud President Trump and Secretary McMahon for their thoughtful approach to empowering states and putting students first.”
The East Baton Rouge Parish School District is among the 100 school districts that will lose the most money if the funding isn’t distributed, according to an analysis by left-leaning think tank New America. The district’s total funding at risk is $5,321,000. EBR Schools had not responded to requests for comment as of this afternoon’s publication deadline.
New America’s analysis also found that districts with high concentrations of students of color and students from low-income families stand to lose several times more dollars per pupil than districts with low concentrations of those student populations.
The affected programs are as follows:
- Title I-C ($375 million), which funds services for students from families whose jobs require them to move from state to state throughout the year.
- Title II-A ($2.2 billion), which funds professional development services for teachers.
- Title III-A ($890 million), which funds services for English learners.
- Title IV-A ($1.3 billion), which funds academic enrichment and student support services.
- Title IV-B ($1.4 billion), which funds before- and after-school programs.
- Adult education basic grants ($629.6 million), which fund general instructional and literacy services for adult students.
- Adult integrated English literacy and civics education grants ($85.9 million), which supplement educational services for adult students.
For now, the Louisiana Department of Education is working with its state and federal partners to keep local school systems informed.
“We are working with Gov. Jeff Landry, Congressional staff and DOE leaders to provide Louisiana’s school systems with the most up-to-date information,” Brumley wrote.
