As of today, the federal government is withholding $6.8 billion in education funding nationwide—a move that could severely impact services for low-income students and schools in every state.
On June 30, the Department of Education informed state education agencies via an unsigned, three-sentence email that funding would not be released the next day as scheduled and that seven programs were under “ongoing programmatic review,” but gave no timeline or detail. This follows sweeping budget cuts to the Department of Education under the Trump administration, part of a broader effort to shift school funding responsibility onto the states.
*Image via [Education Week](<https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/35/df/0e7b656441ff9b14bbb48384573c/020425-ed-dept-building-1-ap-bs.jpg>)*
The funding freeze has prompted backlash from students, educators, and state officials over the abrupt one-day notice and lack of updates since the June 30 email. State departments are left in the dark, scrambling as tens of millions of students prepare to return to school next month. The freeze directly targets multiple K-12 programs.
The withheld funds affect seven programs under the Every Student Succeeds Act, including five targeting K-12 students and two aimed at adult education (Funding data via Education Week):
Title I-C: Migrant Education
($375 million nationwide; $1.1 million in South Carolina)
Funding cuts to Title I-C mean trouble for migrant education. Many specialized staff, trained to help migrants, will lose their jobs, severely harming migrant education.
Title II-A: Supporting Effective Instruction
($2.2B nationwide; $36.3M SC)
Cuts to Title II-A will lower educator quality and effectiveness by lowering training budgets and cutting programs vital to ensuring high-quality teachers, posing a serious threat to K-12 education.