As it continues its efforts to hand over more authority to states regarding how they spend their federal funds, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) encouraged all states to seek waivers from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). On July 29, 2025 the USDE stated the requirements under that…
As reported by K-12 Dive, on July 30, 2025 the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released a sweeping guidance document that could impact school district hiring and training practices, as well as the programming available to students. The document says how school districts could be exposed to legal liability by…
On July 22, 2025 the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) sent a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) to school district and state leaders encouraging and guiding them on how to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) in schools through existing federal grants. The letter form U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said that grantees…
On July 25, 2025 the Trump administration signed on to a court-approved agreement temporarily pausing enforcement of recent policy changes that restrict some education-related federal programs (i.e., Head Start, dual enrollment, adult education, and CTE) based on students’ immigration or citizenship status. The agreement, filed in U.S. District Court for…
On July 25, 2025. the Trump administration announced plans to release more than $5 billion in funding to public schools that it has withheld for nearly a month. According to the U.S. Education Department (USDE), the funds will be released starting the week of Monday July 28, 2025. Legislators from…
According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) in a July 23, 2025 statement, the Trump administration violated the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 by withholding funds meant for early childhood education Head Start programs. GAO cited several actions taken by the Trump administration from January through April that strained…
On July 21, 2025 twenty states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, challenging the administration’s decision earlier this month to restrict publicly funded programs — including those related to education — based on immigration status. The…
On July 18, 2025, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will now release the federal funding for after-school and summer programs that districts and states expected to begin accessing July 1 but had been frozen by the OMB. The $1.3 billion for 21st Century Community Learning Centers was under…
On July 17, 2025, ten Republican senators made a similar plea that had previously been made in a July 10 letter by 32 Democratic senators to unfreeze over $6 billion in funds being withheld by the Office of Budget Management (OMB). In their plea, the GOP senators stated that they don’t believe the over…
Because of their heavy reliance on state and federal funding, rural schools are disproportionately impacted by the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce federal funding for public education, according to an analysis from the Center for American Progress. In many states, rural public schools already receive less funding than non-rural ones…
