Trump unfroze education funding, but the damage is already done

Summer is when superintendents and principals finalize staffing and allocate resources for the year ahead. 

Instead, they’ve spent the past month scrambling to revise budgets and delay decisions after the Trump administration recklessly froze more than $6.8 billion in federal education funds approved by Congress four months ago — a move that unnecessarily threw school planning into chaos with the school year starting in just a few weeks.

On June 30, the Education Department abruptly informed states it would not release key fiscal year 2025 education funds as scheduled, affecting programs like teacher training, English learner support and after-school services. 

After bipartisan backlash — including lawsuits from 24 states and pressure from Republican senators — the administration reversed course on July 25, announcing it would release the remaining funds. But the damage had already been done.

The administration claimed the freeze was part of a “programmatic review” to ensure spending aligned with White House priorities. Yet, the review was conducted without transparency while the funds were only released after intense political pressure.

The Education Department stated “guardrails” would be in place to prevent funds from being used in ways that violate executive orders, which is a vague statement that should raise concerns about future interference.

Districts had built their budgets assuming these funds would arrive by July 1, as they do each year. Instead of preparing for the new school year, states and districts were forced to scramble to minimize the damage.

In my home state of Texas, nearly 1,200 districts faced a freeze of $660 million, which represented about 16 percent of the state’s total K-12 funding.

I have spoken to superintendents, chief academic officers and chief financial officers who described how these unanticipated funding deficits undermined strategic investments into high-quality instruction and mental health services.

In Tennessee, $106 million was frozen, representing 13.4 percent of the state’s K-12 funding. Knox County Schools eliminated 28 central office positions, including staff supporting instruction for English learners.

Florida had $400 million frozen. Pinellas County School District alone stood to lose $9 million. The superintendent reported that they would have to make cuts that directly affect student achievement while the school board chair said the freeze “feels kind of like the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Kansas saw $50 million frozen. Kansas City, Kan. Public Schools warned families that $4.9 million in lost funding would affect “programs that directly support some of our most vulnerable students — including those from low-income families, English language learners and students with disabilities.”

Even with the funds now being released, the uncertainty and disruption caused by the freeze will have lasting impacts. In some cases, district leaders were forced to make staffing and programming decisions without knowing whether critical federal support would be unfrozen.

All who care about public education must make clear that this kind of reckless disruption is unacceptable and will carry political consequences. 

Governors from both parties should press their congressional delegations to pass legislation preventing future executive overreach. And Congress must require the Education Department to provide advance notice and justification for any future funding delays.

The funding freeze was a reckless policy choice that disrespected educators, destabilized schools and put children at risk. Public education cannot function on the Trump administration’s political whims and such unwarranted actions cannot go unchecked without the risk of normalizing executive overreach at the expense of students. 

Now is the time for all policymakers and educators to stand up for our schools and ensure that no child’s education is ever again held hostage to such problematic politics.

David DeMatthews is a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy at The University of Texas at Austin.