Donald Trump is no fan of public schools. His Administration has taken action to dismantle the Department of Education.
And, he’s backed a federal private school voucher scheme:
He’s also frozen federal funds designated for key programs - even as school is nearing its start in districts across the country:
More than $6 billion in federal funding was frozen earlier this summer, with no word on when (or if) those funds would be released.
Now, Save Our Schools Arizona reports that some of that money has been release - after significant pressure:
Public schools have been thrown into chaos and uncertainty after President Trump’s US Dept. of Education refused to allocate $6.2 billion for programs supporting underserved children. These congressionally approved funds were due to be released on July 1st. This week, under major public pressure, the Department released $1.3 billion in funding for after-school and summer programs — however, this represents only a fraction of the funding being withheld.
The withheld funding is already causing significant negative impacts on Arizona’s public schools, which serve many low-income students, migrant students, and students learning English. These funds are critically needed for hiring teachers and ensuring quality learning supports. Arizona’s leaders must urge the Trump administration to release the remaining $4.9 billion in K-12 federal funding immediately!
There’s no doubt this tactic is wreaking havoc at local districts - should the districts count on the funds to eventually arrive? Should they plan on them being permanently frozen? The answer has implications for staffing decisions and overall budgets.
The chaos is the point. Trump wants to bend districts to his will, just as he’s aiming to do with higher education institutions.
This is the epitome of national control of education - the exact opposite of what conservatives claim to support.
While some state attorneys general are suing to force the release of the funds, it’s not yet clear if that will happen - and, even if so, what impact that will have on planning for the upcoming academic year.
It all seems a power play. One designed to discourage any dissent or any policies that may anger the Dear Leader.