One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
Trump administration to release $900M in withheld education funds to California
Students line up to enter their classrooms at Keyes Elementary School in Keyes on Nov. 15, 2023.
(
Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local
)
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Monday an agreement with the Trump administration to release the entire $6.8 billion in education funds that had been abruptly withheld from states by the administration a few weeks before the start of the school year.
The agreement will restore congressionally allocated funds for six programs that the Trump administration had announced it would withhold as of June 30, including those that provide educational support to migrant children and English learners, after-school and summer learning programs, and teacher training.
A spokesperson for the White House had stated the frozen funds, of which California receives $900 million, were reviewed for being “grossly misused to subsidize a radical leftwing agenda.”
The agreement follows a multi-state lawsuit filed by Bonta and 22 other state attorneys general, along with two state governors, which accused the Trump administration of illegally withholding funds due to the U.S. Congress’ constitutional right to appropriate the budget. The administration had previously agreed to release only a portion of the frozen funds shortly after the June 30 announcement and must now release all remaining funds no later than Oct. 3, according to the agreement.
-
Extreme heat warnings are in effect throughout Southern California. And experts continue to warn about fire weather and beach hazards. -
The first phase of LAUSD’s screentime limits starts in August. -
Nearly a century in, the Fairfax institution is still going strong — feeding Canter's original patrons’ grandkids and their grandkids.
“The Trump Administration upended school programs across the country when it recklessly withheld vital education funding just weeks before the school year was set to begin,” Bonta said in a press release. “Our kids deserve so much better than what this anti-education Administration has to offer, and we will continue to fight to protect them from this President’s relentless attacks.”
Bonta has also filed ongoing lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s broader cuts to education, including against the termination of grant funding for K-12 teacher preparation and the discontinuation of school mental health grants.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
