United States President Donald Trump's administration is set to release more than $5 billion in frozen school funds after several districts filed a lawsuit to gain access to the money.
The development comes after the Republican leader's government told states in late June that it was withholding the funding pending further review. That particular announcement came a day before the July 1 deadline for when the money would typically have been distributed to districts.
The Release of Over $5 Billion in Withheld School Funds
The result was that many school districts were left scrambling in the lead up to the school year to pool enough funds for various programs and necessities. However, the current administration announced earlier this month that it would be releasing grant funding for before- and after-school programs.
The deputy assistant secretary for communications at the Education Department, Madi Biedermann, said that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has directed the Department of Education to release all formula funds. He added that the process will start next week, according to NPR.
Bipartisan lawmakers lobbied to release the school funds, citing the financial strain that states and local communities faced. Many states also filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to try to force the release of the money.
The funds that the government withheld were supposed to help pay for various education programs, such as migrant education, services for English language learners, and adult education.
Despite the announcement that the funding will be released soon, further details on the review and what it found were not shared by the government. A senior administration official said that guardrails would be implemented for the amount of money being released to districts, Reuters reported.
Relief for School Districts
The Trump administration has also threatened schools and colleges that it would withhold federal funding over various issues, such as climate initiatives, transgender policies, pro-Palestinian protests against Israel's war in Gaza, and diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.
However, Republican lawmakers praised the decision to release the withheld funding, while Democratic officials said that there was no need to disrupt funding in the first place. In a separate statement, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said she was satisfied with what the administration found in the review.
Following the announcement of the funding being released, Unalaska City School District Superintendent Kimberly Hanisch said that they are relieved to hear the news. She noted that there was much relief for their students and staff, knowing that they would get opportunities provided by the funding, as per the Alaska Republic.
