President Donald Trump’s administration announced Friday it was releasing billions of dollars in school grants, including more than $42 million that had been withheld in Kansas.
“We have received notification that the title funds that were previously held back by the U.S. Department of Education will now be released,” a spokesperson for the Kansas State Department of Education said late Friday.
The money withheld from schools nationally paid for professional development for educators, programs for improving student achievement, after-school learning programs, migrant education and English language learners.
The Trump administration had suspended more than $6 billion in funding already approved by Congress and signed into law.
The funding was halted as part of a review to ensure the grants coincided with the president’s priorities.
A spokesperson for the president’s Office of Management and Budget had told The Washington Post that it needed to determine whether the grants were used by school districts to fund a “radical leftwing agenda.”
The Trump administration’s decision will benefit every school district in the state, although millions were on the line for districts in Olathe, Shawnee Mission, Kansas City, Wichita and Garden City. About $14 million was frozen for those districts combined.
Here are the programs that were affected by the freeze, according to the State Department of Education:
- $6.2 million from the Migrant Education Program, which helps migratory children to meet academic standards and graduate with a high school diploma.
- $15.8 million from professional development grants that are intended to improve the quality and effectiveness of teachers, principals and other school leaders.
- $4.8 million from a program intended to help English language learners.
- $8.3 million from a program that’s intended to promote student academic achievement.
- $7.8 million from the 21st Century Community Learning Center program, which provides grants to school districts and community learning centers for after-school programs serving students in low-performing schools.
The numbers were based on funds available for the 2024-25 school year and school officials said they wouldn’t know until next week what the exact allocations would be for the 2025-26 school year.
The Wichita school district said it would lose about $6.3 million because of the pause in grant funding, including $293,000 for migrant students, about $1 million for English Language Learners and $3.6 million for professional development and student achievement.
The district said it intended to use reserve funds to pay for salaries associated with the programs whose funding was paused.
The Shawnee Mission district reported having about $1 million withheld, including $40,500 for migrant education, $545,075 for professional development, $255,938 for English Language learners and $151,206 for student support.
In Kansas City, Kansas, school officials there said the freeze could mean a loss of about $4.9 million in funding, including $2 million for after-school programs and $1.1 million for professional development.
“If the freeze continues, we will be forced to reallocate other district funds to cover the shortfall, which may place strain on other programs and also eliminate services for students,” the district said in a statement posted after the money was withheld.
The Trump administration had come under increasing pressure to release the money.
A couple of lawsuits challenged the freeze, and members of Congress from both parties urged the administration to release the money.
A coalition of 14 school districts, parents, teachers unions and nonprofit organizations filed a lawsuit challenging the decision to withhold the education funds.
Another coalition of 24 states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration over the administration’s decision to freeze funds.
Last week, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly joined with 17 other governors to demand that the U.S. Department of Education release the federal education funding.
“The Trump administration’s shocking decision to withhold education funding directly harms students and schools in Kansas and across the country,” Kelly said in a statement.
“This funding is essential to support student learning, teacher training and preparation, and afterschool programs that working parents rely on, especially in rural areas.”
A day earlier, 10 Republican U.S. senators wrote a letter to the Trump administration urging it to reverse its decision to withhold the money from public schools.
The top Democrat in the Kansas Senate had been sharply critical of the decision to withhold the money from schools.
“Our school districts, especially as they are getting ready for a new school year, must be able to stay focused on preparing Kansas kids for their future,” Dinah Sykes said in a statement.
“I’m glad to see that the funds will be released, but that doesn’t absolve the administration from impounding the funds in the first place.
“I am encouraged because this is what happens when people get engaged and contact their representatives,” she said.
