Kansas families lose after-school help due to federal funding cuts

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Kansas schools and after-school programs are facing hard choices this year as federal funding is put on ice ahead of the 2025-2026 academic year.

President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" continues to make waves across the nation as different organizations that rely on federal dollars come to terms with how it changes funding objectives. The Kansas Department of Education (KSDE) and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) in the Sunflower State are currently reevaluating their positions ahead of the next school year in light of major funding losses.

Kansas education officials, as with those in other states, are in limbo after learning that some federal dollars already appropriated by Congress for student learning, teacher development and other services are being delayed indefinitely by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). The KSDE said millions of dollars in Title funding for Kansas districts are being impacted by this funding freeze.

• Title I-C - Migrant Education - $6.2 million.
• Title II-A - Teacher and School Leader Supports - $15.8 million.
• Title III-A - English Learners - $4.8 million.
• Title IV-A - Student Support and Academic Enrichment - $8.3 million.
• Title IV-B - 21st Century Before and After-School Programs - $7.8 million.

“I received a message from the federal department of education late in the day on Monday, June 30, informing me they are reviewing funding for several Title programs,” said Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson in a press release on July 8. “Normally we would receive notice by July 1 that these funds are being awarded for the coming school year. Now, the funding for these programs remains uncertain as we wait for the U.S. Department of Education’s review of these programs.”

Watson said cuts to Title II-A and Title IV-A may cause big challenges for rural school districts in Kansas. He said many rural schools receive federal cash from the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) and gain some additional flexibility to spend funds from the programs as they see fit.

“We don’t know when the review of these and other programs will be completed or if we will receive the already approved funding,” Watson said.

The Boys & Girls Club of Manhattan (BGCM) said the federal freeze on the 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) funding is severely limiting its ability to provide safe and reliable after-school care. The BGCM said the freeze is directly impacting the number of children it can serve and its ability to keep families off a waitlist. The organization reported each of its club sites are currently capped at serving only 30 children.

"We are devastated to have to say "no" to families who rely on us. This cap is placing many families under emotional and financial stress, unsure of where their child can go after school, while guardians are still at work."

Boys & Girls Club of Manhattan social media post statement

27 News reached out to Dawn McWilliams, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Topeka (BGCT), to see how the funding freeze is impacting her organization. She said the ED did not release an anticipated $6.9 billion in public education funding for Fiscal Year 2026, including 21st CCLC funds, which is having major consequences for after-school programs nationwide.

"Afterschool and summer learning programs are cornerstones of academic success, public safety, and family stability for millions of young people, but right now, we stand at a dangerous tipping point," said BGCA President and CEO Jim Clark. "The decision to withhold 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) funds despite Congressional approval for FY25 threatens to unravel a decades-long, bipartisan investment in youth development."

McWilliams shared that two of the 14 club sites for the BGCT rely on the 21st CCLC funding, which provides more than 530 local families with out-of-school programs for their children. She also shared that 20 club sites across Kansas, which represent almost 200 jobs and serve almost 2,500 kids and teenagers, rely on federal dollars.

Hannah C. Frye, CEO of the BGCM, said in a June 12 press release that the elimination of 21st CCLC funding "would have a devastating impact" on the Little Apple's after-school programs. She said nine out of 13 sites rely on the funds, which provide services to more than 650 local children and teenagers.

The loss of federal funding comes after the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Central Kansas (BGCSCK) said it was ending its after-school programs in Emporia ahead of the 2025-2026 academic year. The BGCSCK cited a lack of "sustainable community investment" as part of the reason why the programs came to an end.

You can chip in to help the Boys & Girls Clubs in Kansas by making donations online. To learn more about ways to give back to the clubs, click here.

Trump signed the "Big Beautiful Bill" into law during a picnic on July 4 this year. Both of Kansas' senators in Washington, D.C., signed off on the bill, with all but one Congressional representative for Kansas following suit. Kansas lawmakers and other organizations gave their thoughts on the controversial bill shortly after it passed the House on July 3.

While some organizations and lawmakers have displayed anger at the federal spending bill, others are applauding the benefits it provides. National funding for agricultural programs received more than $60 million from the bill, providing a benefit to Kansas farmers, and the child tax credit was raised from $2,000 to $2,200.

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