Trump administration is withholding $35M from Utah schools
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The Trump administration is withholding more than $35 million in education funding from Utah as it reviews the programs that were due to receive the money.
Why it matters: The missing money has left after-school and summer programs in limbo nationwide.
Driving the news: The Education Department said in a last-minute notice that the funds would not be released as planned on July 1 while the programs were under review, according to the School Superintendents Association.
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.
- That includes funding for after-school and summer learning through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, money to support migratory children, educator development funds and more.
Zoom in: The Department of Education referred Axios' questions to the Office of Management and Budget. An OMB spokesperson said no decisions have been made amid "an ongoing programmatic review of education funding."
- The spokesperson pointed to initial findings they said "show that many of these grant programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical leftwing agenda."
Threat level: If unreleased 21st Century Community Learning Center funds — the chief stream for academic enrichment outside of school hours — remains blocked, "the fallout will be swift and devastating," Boys and Girls Clubs of America President and CEO Jim Clark said in a statement.
- Up to 926 Boys and Girls Clubs could be forced to shut their doors, he said, and club sites and camps "could shutter mid-season — upending care for working parents and leaving kids without critical safety nets."
What they're saying: Jodi Grant, the executive director of the Afterschool Alliance, described the withholding of funds as "a stunning betrayal," as states and territories had already committed money to after-school and summer learning programs.
- "Short term, [there are] a lot of very anxious programs and very anxious parents, because they don't know if their kids are going to be able to have after-school, but that will very quickly turn into programs reducing how many kids they can serve and or closing their doors," she told Axios.