A student reads a book in English and Spanish in a bilingual transitional kindergarten class at Global Family Elementary School in Oakland on May 17, 2024. Bay Area school districts stand to lose millions budgeted for support programs after the Trump administration froze grants that states were expecting to start Tuesday. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)
Bay Area school districts stand to lose millions of federal dollars budgeted for programs that support English language learners, children of migrant families and others this fall after the Trump administration made a last-minute move to freeze funding for the fiscal year that begins Tuesday.
The U.S. Department of Education notified states Monday afternoon that it would withhold more than $6.8 billion for six grant programs under review, including those that fund language instruction, after-school programs, teacher training and more. The freeze is expected to affect upwards of $1 billion meant for California school districts, threatening to exacerbate their already squeezed wallets.
“The actions at this time represent an incredible disruption,” state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said during a press conference on Tuesday. “As schools are preparing for the next school year, as many of our programs are already in their summer programming, it couldn’t come at a worse time.
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“The administration is punishing children for the sole reason that states refuse to cater to Trump’s political ideology, so we are here in California today to say we’re not going to let that happen,” he continued.
State offices of education were informed Monday that, given the change in presidential administrations, the Department of Education was reviewing congressionally appropriated grant allocations for the 2025 fiscal year, which states had expected to begin drawing down on July 1.
The messages said final decisions had not been made for the upcoming academic year, and that the department would not issue grant award notifications until that review was complete.
President Trump pumps his fist after stepping off Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on June 21, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
It wasn’t immediately clear what the timeline would be. The Trump administration and the Department of Education did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.
Edgar Zazueta, the executive director of the Association of California School Administrators, said the cuts will have a disproportionate effect on those public school students who need some of the most support.
“English learners, our migrant students, adult education, after-school programs — all those who need more are the ones that are being targeted,” he said during the press conference.
In Oakland, $1.47 million in Title III grant funding is allocated to pay for salaries and programming in language instruction for English learners this year, and another $2 million is planned to supplement teaching instruction. More than 32% of OUSD students are considered English language learners, according to district data.
Julie Kessler, who heads the newcomer and English language learner programs in OUSD, said that while some of the funding targets those students specifically, all students will be affected by the loss of funds, which pay for education coaches for teachers, curriculum writers who keep lesson plans up to date, and extended hours for teachers to modify their classes and do professional development.
“We’re going to send teachers back to schools less prepared than they would have been if we had Title III funding,” she told KQED.
The San Francisco school district’s nearly $1.3 billion budget accounts for $1.48 million for instruction for more than 15,000 English language learners — about 24% of all students, according to the state’s Ed Data dashboard — and an additional $2.5 million for instruction support.
Both districts were already set to receive less funding from these grants this year than in the last fiscal year.
Districts in more rural parts of California will be hit especially hard by the loss of funds for migrant family programs, according to Patricia Unruhe, who heads the program at Pajaro Valley Unified School District in Santa Cruz County.
Nearly 8% of Pajaro Valley students come from migrant families, Unruhe said.
A protester waves the national flags of Mexico during a demonstration for immigrants’ rights outside of Los Angeles City Hall on Feb. 5, 2025. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)
“We serve over 1,000 migrant education students, and those students have unique educational needs because their families move around in order to work in the agricultural field,” she told KQED.
She said the program helps mitigate learning loss from frequent school changes by focusing on early literacy for students as young as pre-kindergarten, and identifying students in high school who are falling behind in math and language arts and need additional support to catch up to grade level.
Rich DuVarney, the president of the California County Superintendents, said the frozen funds could lead to layoffs, continued use of outdated class materials and cuts to enrichment, summer and after-school programs.
“By withdrawing those funds, our district leaders will be forced to reduce staff, delay programs and cancel services for those students [who are] the most vulnerable that rely upon those services,” he said during the press conference.
The state was already having trouble accessing federal funding, according to California Department of Education chief of staff David Schapira, which he said is partly due to mass reductions in the U.S. Department of Education.
In March, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said the department would cut nearly half of its staff. Courts have required the department to hire back those workers, but Schapira said they have been placed on administrative leave.
“Unfortunately, we believe the U.S. Department of Education lacks the resources to get some of these funds out in a timely manner — by choice,” he said.
The state office of education did not say whether it would sue the Trump administration over the funding freeze, but it said it was in contact with California politicians and Attorney General Rob Bonta, as well as other states, adding that no legal remedy was off the table.
Bonta’s office, which has been at the forefront of many state-led challenges to Trump administration policies, did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
In a joint statement, California Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff said the state was prepared to respond.
“This reckless decision threatens the future of America’s workforce and our global competitiveness. And if the Administration is asking for a fight, make no mistake — California will give it to them,” they wrote.
