Trump administration returns education money to CA, AZ

By Esther Wickham | The Center Square

(The Center Square) — The U.S. Department of Education on Friday released federal funding that was previously withheld to California, Arizona and other states.

Since July 1, education departments across the country have been urging the administration to unfreeze $6.8 billion in education funds.

Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia in a coalition sued the administration, calling this freeze unconstitutional, unlawful and an arbitrary decision.

Now, attorney generals in California and Arizona, along with the coalition, are celebrating as they see their education funding returned.

Arizona will receive $132 million in previously withheld funding.

“The Trump administration’s unlawful freeze of these critical funds threw the start of the school year into chaos in Arizona,” said Mayes in a press release. “School leaders had to scramble to see how they could make up for millions in lost funding. Teachers and aides worried if their jobs were in jeopardy. And students and families were left wondering what would happen to after school programs. I am proud to have sued Donald Trump on their behalf to secure the funding our schools are legally owed and protect our communities from the consequences of this illegal overreach.”

California Attorney General Rob Bonta also announced that the California Department of Education received its Grant Award Notification confirming all funds would be released back to the state.

California will receive around $811 million in education funding.

“The Trump Administration has officially reversed course on its blatantly illegal, misguided effort to freeze critical education funds weeks before the school year was set to start,” said Bonta in a press release. “Let’s be clear: This funding should never have been frozen in the first place — that’s why we filed our lawsuit. We’re glad to see the Administration back down from its illegal effort to withhold these funds, but we can’t lose sight of the long-term damage caused by the President’s campaign of chaos and uncertainty. California will not stop fighting to hold the President and his Administration accountable to the law and to protect our children’s educational future.”