The Chaotic, Reckless Education Freeze

And the Appalling Compliance of Red State Politicians

Sadly, the “flood the zone” strategy is effective.

Amid all the cuts and freezes and schemes to eliminate, undermine or privatize vital public services, the details can get lost. Which often means that only the most egregious impacts ever get any attention. And we learn about those impacts only after it’s too late, and the damage is done, such as FEMA cuts or food destruction.

Given this problem, I decided to dig in to one of the most damaging things happening right now—the July 1 freezing of federal education funds that states across the nation rely on.

Drawing from the lawsuit that was recently filed to stop these cuts, here’s a close look at just how much damage and chaos this illegal freeze is causing across the country, with the prime victims being our kids.

The Basics: $6 Billion

24 states (all run by Democrats) have sued the Trump administering following its freezing $6 billion in education funds that Congress has appropriated, and which should have been made available to states by July 1.

The suit alleges that the US government is violating numerous federal laws through the freeze. And it explains that withholding those dollars is already having dramatic consequences on critical education services this summer, while creating even greater chaos heading into a new school year (where these billions in funds were already built into ongoing budgets and spending).

“unlawful actions have caused chaos in the Plaintiff States’ educational systems. Plaintiff States already have planned for the upcoming academic year—which is set to start in weeks in many areas—in reliance on the billions of dollars that are now frozen. The budgets for many local educational agencies (LEAs) have already been approved and staffing plans have been developed so that LEAs can perform their responsibilities for the Impacted Programs. Now, as a result of Defendants’ actions, Plaintiff States find themselves in the position of being unable to fulfill these commitments. Essential summer school and afterschool programs, through which Plaintiff States and their instrumentalities provide childcare to working parents of school-age children, have been or will need to be entirely cancelled as a result of the ED Funding Freeze. The abrupt freeze is wreaking similar havoc on key teacher training programs as well as programs that make school more accessible to children with special learning needs, such as English language learners. And the eleventh-hour notification left no time to address the momentous fiscal vacuum created by Defendants’ actions.”

The Specifics

As if that weren’t bad enough, the true damage comes into far greater focus when you understand the specific programs impacted. Together, they serve millions of kids and adults, and missions, services and priorities that a broad spectrum of Americans (including conservatives) view as important. (In addition to summarizing the program, I give examples of how individual states will be impacted by the freeze, drawing from the lawsuit).

Teacher Quality:

This now-frozen program seeks to “improve the quality and effectiveness of teachers, principals, and other school leaders”; to “increase the number of teachers, principals, and other school leaders who are effective in improving student academic achievement”; and to “provide low-income and minority students greater access to effective teachers, principals, and other school leaders,” thereby “increas[ing] student achievement.”

Impact Example:

Oregon: “The State of Oregon expected to receive $20.4 million under Title II-A in fiscal year 2025-26. These funds are used by the State LEAs to prepare, recruit, retain, train, compensate, and evaluate highly effective educators, principals, and school leaders….The inability to access fiscal year 2025 funds puts this infrastructure in immediate jeopardy.”

English Language Instruction:

Another targeted program ensures “that English learners, including immigrant children and youth, attain English proficiency” and thereby “achieve at high levels in academic subjects so that all English learners can meet the same challenging State academic standards that all children are expected to meet.” Participating school districts use the funds for “language instruction educational programs” that will “help English learners increase their English language proficiency and meet the challenging State academic standards.”

Impact Examples:

Delaware: “Delaware is home to approximately 19,000 students who are identified as multilingual learners (MILL)s[—]13% of the total Delaware school enrollment. If Title III funding is not received, Delaware will struggle to implement and enhance language instruction educational programs designed to assist MLLs which will negatively impact student progress toward achieving English proficiency and meeting the State’s academic content standards.”

Michigan: “Michigan has nearly 100,000 K-12 public school students identified as English learners. For the 2024-2025 school year, Michigan school districts budgeted Title III funds to support 273 full and part-time staff, as well as an additional 90,000 hours of support from staff to support eligible students. Without fiscal year 2025 Title III-A funding, Michigan risks ending these services.”

Safety, STEM and Technology

This suspended program “seeks to “provide all students with access to a well-rounded education,” “improve school conditions for student learning,” and “improve the use of technology in order to improve the academic achievement and digital literacy of all students.” 20 U.S.C. § 7111. To that end, States and school districts can use funds for three types of activities:…

1. Supporting “safe and healthy students,” through drug and violence prevention activities, school-based mental health services, bullying prevention, suicide prevention, and the like, 20 U.S.C. § 7118;

2. Supporting “well-rounded educational opportunities,” through college and career guidance, STEM-focused programming, accelerated learning programs, arts education, and the like, 20 U.S.C. § 7117; and

3. Supporting the “effective use of technology,” including through blended learning programs and investments in capacity and infrastructure, 20 U.S.C. § 7119.”

Impact Example:

New Jersey: supports “efforts to close the digital divide, to increase access for all students to advanced computer science coursework, and to build a statewide network of professional learning hubs at colleges and universities to support teacher training in these areas. The loss of these crucial resources to support our students will have long- lasting effects.”

After School and Community Learning Centers

“After-school programs have a proven track record of helping students succeed. [O]riginally known as the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Act, [t]he program seeks to “provide opportunities for academic enrichment, including providing tutorial services to help students, particularly students who attend low-performing schools,” by offering “students a broad array of additional services, programs, and activities . . . designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students” and to offer families “opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children’s education.” 20 U.S.C. § 7171. To that end, States and school districts can use funds for after-school programs, summer programs, and other out-of-school services providing tutoring, mentoring, STEM programs, expanded library and literacy programming, and more.”

Impact Examples:

Michigan: uses the funds to support “232 Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) sites across Michigan and served more than 21,100 K-12 students. Without fiscal year 2025 Title IV-B funding, Michigan will not be able to support the CCLC sites for the upcoming school year.”

Pennsylvania: uses funds “to establish community learning centers that provide academic, artistic, and cultural enrichment opportunities for students and their families. These opportunities occur during non-school hours to help students attending high-poverty and low-performing schools to meet state and local standards in core academic subjects. Title IV-B funds are used to support programs to engage students through a broad array of additional services, programs, and activities, such as youth development activities; service learning; nutrition and health education; drug and violence prevention programs; counseling programs; arts, music, physical fitness and wellness programs; technology education programs; financial literacy programs; environmental literacy programs; mathematics, science, career and technical programs; internship or apprenticeship programs; and other ties to an in-demand industry sector or occupation for high school students that are designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students….The ED Funding Freeze jeopardizes these critical services as well as the positions funded and the grantees that operate the community centers across the commonwealth.”

Adult Education

Invests in adult education “to improve the employability of adults who never completed their formal high school education….It seeks to assist lower- education adults in literacy; in obtaining “the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and economic self-sufficiency”; in becoming “full partners in the educational development of their children”; and in “attaining a secondary school diploma and in the transition to postsecondary education and training.” 20 U.S.C. § 3271(1)-(3). It also seeks to assist immigrants and other English language learners in literacy, numeracy, and basic civics education.”

Impact Examples:

Massachusetts: Massachusetts invests “to support a wide range of adult education services, including basic literacy, numeracy, digital literacy, family literacy, and English language instruction….Without federal funding, DESE anticipates diminished state infrastructure to support these programs and fewer adults served, which could lead to higher unemployment rates, lower literacy rates, and other negative impacts.”

Michigan: “In fiscal year 2024, the State of Michigan received approximately $16.5 million of AEFLA funding. These funds are used…to ensure that adult education providers can support adult learners with basic reading, writing, and mathematics, as well as English as a second language, high school completion, high school equivalency and workforce preparation services.”

Pennsylvania: “assist adults who are parents or family members to obtain the education and skills that are necessary to becoming full partners in the educational development of their children and that lead to sustainable improvements in the economic opportunities for their family; assist adults in attaining a secondary school diploma and in the transition to postsecondary education and training, including through career pathways; and assist immigrants and other individuals who are English language learners in improving their reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension skills in English; improving their math skills; and acquiring an understanding of the American system of government, individual freedom, and the responsibilities of citizenship….The ED Funding Freeze jeopardizes these critical services and positions.”

Migratory Education

The program serves “the unique educational needs of migratory children,” helping to “overcome educational disruption, cultural and language barriers, social isolation, various health-related problems, and other factors that inhibit the ability of such children to succeed in school.” 20 U.S.C. § 6391. The program also works to coordinate programs for migratory children across school districts and States, through a comprehensive record-exchange system.

Impact Example:

California: “The ED Funding Freeze could result in the suspension of programs and direct services for 78,000 students, affecting their academic achievement, progress toward graduation, health, socioemotional wellness, and preparedness for college, career, and civic engagement.”

Add It Up

Teacher quality. STEM. Mental health and substance abuse. English instruction. Technology. Arts and after school programs. Adult education. Safe schools. Boosts to disadvantaged students and highly talented students alike.

50 states, losing critical funding to do all of this programming and more as they barrel toward the start of school in les than a month.

Devastating.

Chaos.

Even Some GOP Pushback

Which may explain why unlike most issues, even some Republican Senators have been willing to publicly call for the end of this freeze.

Their letter tries to appeal to Trump’s desire to “return[] K-12 education to the states”: “This funding goes directly to state and local districts, where local leaders decide how the funding is spent, because as we know, local communities know how to best serve students and families…These funds go to support programs that enjoy longstanding, bipartisan support like after-school and summer programs that provide learning and enrichment opportunities for school aged children which also enables their parents to work and contribute to local economies….Withholding these funds will harm students, families and local economies.”

These Senators also make a special pitch for adult learners: “These students are often adults seeking second chances for a myriad of reasons, for example, caregiving responsibilities or financial challenges. These are adult learners working to gain employment skills, earn workforce certifications, or transition into postsecondary education. We should be making education opportunities easier for these students, not harder.”

(After this letter, the Administration did release about 20% of the funds. But the rest remains frozen.)

But before you get impressed, know that only 10 GOP Senators signed this letter: Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine), Mitch McConnell (Ky.), Mike Rounds (S.D.), Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), John Boozman (Ark.), Katie Britt (Ala.), Deb Fischer (Neb.), John Hoeven (N.D.) and Jim Justice (W.Va.).

Despite all the ways that these cuts are devastating education programs in the states they are elected to represent, 39 our of 49 GOP Senators did not sign on.

They couldn’t be bothered.

Just as not a single state being led by the GOP joined the lawsuit.

These politicians’ loyalty to Trump (or fear of standing up to him) is greater than their concern of their own kids’ and communities’ schools, and programs that “enjoy longstanding, bipartisan support.”

Pathetic, if not surprising.

Local Pleas

And this is not because they aren’t aware of the devastating impacts of these cuts.

Here’s a letter sent from a school district in a conservative part of Southwest Ohio to US Senators Jon Husted and Bernie Moreno (and House member Greg Landsman), pleading with them to stand up: “the absence of this funding creates real and immediate uncertainty for our students, staff, and programs…”

And local media have highlighted the risk of these cuts.

Still, neither GOP Ohio Senator signed that letter, nor did Ohio join the lawsuit.

The third recipient of the letter, Congressman Greg Landsman, responded right away, calling the cuts “unprecedented, dangerous, and [having] immediately caused panic and pain.” Because when schools and students in the communities you represent are under attack, that’s what you’re supposed to do.

In any normal political world, not standing up at the moment would be disqualifying from future public service.