Palm Beach County schools are at risk of losing more than $30 million in federal funding because the Trump administration continues to withhold education grants that had already been approved by Congress and were expected to be distributed by July 1.
The freeze affects a wide range of programs— from academic enrichment and English-language instruction to summer school and after school care.
Across Florida, roughly $347 million in education grants remain frozen.
At a press conference Thursday morning in West Palm Beach, U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, was joined by local educators and alumni of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach to call attention to the funding freeze and the potential fallout for families this summer and the upcoming school year.
“We’ve been given no excuse for this delay,” Frankel told reporters.
Frankel said she and other congressional colleagues will send a letter on Friday to Trump administration officials demanding the release of the money and an explanation for the freeze.
For Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the freeze affects grants totaling more than $45 million. The grants were earmarked for programs supporting English-language learners and migrant education, as well.
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The Boys and Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County stands to lose more than $9 million in funding. The nonprofit relies on the federal dollars to support over 3,000 low-income children at more than 20 sites, said Frankel, noting the Palm Beach school district is one of the largest in the nation.
The uncertainty has left many school districts scrambling. The U.S. Department of Education told states that decisions have not yet been made for submissions and awards related to the upcoming school year, according to the Learning Policy Institute, a nonprofit education policy research group.
The institute estimates that $6.2 billion in K-12 funds across five key programs remain unavailable nationwide.
In a last minute notice, the U.S. Department of Education announced the funds would not be dispersed while the programs they were intended to support remain under review, according to the School Superintendents Association.
The freeze has left states and school districts in limbo as they budget for the summer and upcoming school year, introducing new uncertainty about when, or even if, the money will be released.
