The White House/ Department of Education is withholding over $2 billion that Congress has allocated for Education programs, many of which are intended to improve schools and communities for low-income families and schools. Some of this money may still be dispersed later, but it is already months beyond normal timelines for funded projects to get their expected funds.
Education Week reporter Mark Lieberman lists all of the currently blocked programs in his article. Some of the funding–on-hold that might be of greatest interest to readers of this site:
- Support for colleges with high concentrations of Hispanic students, Native American students, Native Hawaiian and Native Alaskan students.
- Groups spurring and evaluating innovative practices for "high needs" students.
- Support for colleges with high concentrations of low-income students.
- Programs in distressed communities working to improve outcomes for children and families.
- Several teacher training programs as we face teacher shortages, especially in schools service low-income and working-class students.
- Grants for first-year college students from migratory or seasonal farm worker families.
- Grants to support migratory or seasonal farm workers get their high school equivalency credentials.
- Programs to improve family engagement in education.
- Programs to expand STEM opportunities for minority college students.
Poor and working-class students - particularly students of color, their families, and their communities are again collateral damage in the massive staff layoffs and administrative cynicism about the very existence of a federal Department of Education, even as much of DOE's work is in the service if equity and opportunity.
