From Newsgroup: alt.education
The Trump administration announced this week it was withholding $26
million in federal grant funding to VermontÆs public schools, part
of a broader freeze of more than $6 billion nationwide for after-
school and summer programs and English language instruction.
Funds for these programs were supposed to be distributed on July 1.
But the U.S. Department of Education alerted the state Agency of
Education they were holding the funds back ôon the evening of June
30,ö according to a press release by the Agency of Education.
The federal department told state education officials they will
conduct a review of the programs, but did not provide a timeline
for when that would be completed, according to the agencyÆs press
release.
The abrupt pause in funding will likely disrupt local school
districtsÆ operations. Those federal funds are built into local
districtsÆ budgets for the 2025-26 school year, according to the
release.
Vermont Secretary of Education Zoie Saunders said in the release
the decision to withhold these funds, ôdisrupts districtsÆ ability
to staff critical positions and provide a wide range of
programming, including efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism and
improve literacy outcomes.ö
ôThis decision also contributes to a culture of uncertainty that
takes away from the important work our schools need to focus on to
support our students,ö Saunders said.
Six federal grant programs were affected by the funding pause,
according to the Agency of Education, including programs to provide instructional and support services to migrant children and their
families.
The funds supported the University of Vermont-run Vermont Migrant
Education Program that serves children who have relocated alone or
with their families to obtain seasonal or temporary employment in
agriculture, the Agency of Education release said.
Another program has supported instructional services and supports
within school districts for English language learners. Those grant
dollars were used to fund multilingual liaisons to help families
integrate into their schools and communities through summer school
and after-school English language services.
Other federally funded programs helped finance mentoring programs
and professional development for teachers. The state agency said in
its release the programs were ôessential to improving academic
outcomes as well as supporting the retention of effective
educators.ö
Another program supported programming for mental health services,
which the state agency said was critical to reducing chronic
absenteeism.
The Agency of Education said it was ôactively working with
districts to mitigate the impact of this decision by conducting
outreach and providing one-on-one intensive support to the field.ö
ôThe Agency is proud of the critical investments that Vermont
public schools have made using these federal funds and will
continue to support districts in navigating the uncertainty in the
federal funding landscape,ö the agency said in its release.
Clean up your act, Vermont. Socialism and illegal immigration are
not welcome here.
https://vtdigger.org/2025/07/02/u-s-department-of-education- withholds-millions-in-funding-for-vermont-school-districts/
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