More than $184 million in federal money for Ohio schools is in limbo.
On June 30, President Donald Trump’s Department of Education informed states that it wouldn’t release about $6.2 billion across five federal programs, including money to support migrant students and English-language learning, pending a review, NPR reported.
Ohio’s share of that pot is about $184 million, or 12.5% of its federal funding of K-12 schools, according to the Learning Policy Institute, an independent education research nonprofit. Cleveland.com first reported on the impact in Ohio.
The programs under review include: migrant education, English language acquisition, an after-school and summer programming fund, money to improve teachers’ quality and effectiveness, and a student support and academic enrichment program.
Scott DiMauro, president of the Ohio Education Association, said the educators’ union is “extremely concerned” by the Trump administration’s decision to withhold millions of dollars in promised federal money.
“This funding – which was approved by Congress – is essential for ensuring all Ohio students can receive the supports and resources they need to succeed – no exceptions,” DiMauro said. “Arbitrarily and unilaterally withholding that critical funding is a shameful betrayal that will hurt Ohio’s students, including some of the most vulnerable people in our school communities.”
Columbus City Schools Superintendent Angela Chapman called losing those federal resources, along with state budget cuts, “a significant challenge for our team.”
“There’s no question in our minds that our students can’t go without those services and needs,” Chapman said. School officials are “taking a very hard look at how we’re operating and opportunities to manage our resources in new and different ways because the needs of students haven’t changed.”
USA Today contributed to this article.
This article has been updated to include additional comments.
State government reporter Jessie Balmert can be reached at jbalmert@gannett.com or @jbalmert on X.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Trump administration review puts more than $180M for Ohio K-12 schools in limbo
Reporting by Jessie Balmert and Cole Behrens, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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