Tens of millions in federal funding for Oregon education on hold
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Oregon has not received tens of millions in federal K-12 education funding that was due July 1, as the Trump administration holds up payments during a review of grant programs.
Why it matters: The delay puts after-school, summer and other student programs at risk, with the potential for major disruptions for schools statewide.
- The Education Department said in a last-minute notice that the funds would not be released while the programs were under review, according to the School Superintendents Association.
What they're saying: A spokesperson at the White House Office of Management and Budget said no decisions have been made amid "an ongoing programmatic review of education funding."
- The spokesperson pointed to initial findings that they said "show that many of these grant programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical leftwing agenda."
By the numbers: An estimated $6.2 billion in K-12 funds across five programs remains unavailable, according to the Learning Policy Institute, which conducts research to improve education policies.
- Oregon's share of more than $73 million accounts for 16.5% of all its federal funding for K-12 education.
- That percentage ranks fifth among states, behind only Washington, D.C., Vermont, Delaware, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
Zoom in: Gov. Tina Kotek indicated the state could take legal action.
- "Those are tax dollars, going over to D.C., that need to come back the way they've been coming back all those decades," Kotek said at a press conference, per KLCC.
- "They're sending a lot of fear through our school districts right now, and it's got to stop."