Statement from:
The U.S. Department of Education’s unprecedented decision to withhold nearly $6.9 billion in critical K-12 federal funding is causing immediate and widespread disruptions in school systems across the country—putting essential programs, staffing, and ultimately, student success at serious risk.
With just weeks before students return to classrooms, school districts and state education agencies are finalizing their plans for the new school year. This abrupt and unexplained funding delay has thrown those preparations and their budgets into disarray. Districts are being forced to slash programs, freeze contracts, and halt hiring. School leaders now face the impossible task of opening schools without knowing whether the federal funds they relied on will arrive—or when.
This freeze impacts every area of education: academic interventions, mental health services, reading programs, STEM instruction, civics education, and educational technology. The damage is especially severe in high-need districts where federal resources are not supplemental, but foundational to ensuring students get the education and support they deserve.
Of particular concern is the $2.19 billion in Title II-A funds—the only federal program specifically dedicated to professional learning for educators. These funds are critical for strengthening instruction, educator effectiveness, and supporting the leadership development of principals and assistant principals who create the school environment for students to succeed. Without this investment, efforts to close achievement gaps, improve instructional quality, and stabilize the educator workforce are deeply compromised.
Education leaders—including principals, assistant principals, supervisors, directors of student services and superintendents—need clear, predictable funding to make decisions about staffing, contracts, curriculum, and student services. Running a school district or a school without knowing how much money will be available is like flying blind. It leads to unnecessary disruptions, broken trust with communities, and worst of all, missed opportunities for students.
This delay is not simply an administrative oversight—it is a direct and immediate threat to the functioning of our public education system. We urge the U.S. Department of Education to reverse course and release these essential funds as directed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump, without further delay. Every day of uncertainty deepens the disruption. Our students, educators, and communities deserve better.
