After-school programs and English language learning at risk as Trump withholds funds
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Federal review threatens $137M in Washington education funds for 2025-26.
- Five key programs including migrant and after-school education face shortfall.
- Superintendent Reykdal urges legal action to uphold congressional authority.
Washington state’s schools superintendent is warning that the “rule of law is on its final breath” after learning that federal funding for five key programs — due to districts on July 1 — may never arrive.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal said in a news release that the U.S. Department of Education told education chiefs nationwide on June 30 that some congressionally approved funds are under further review “in accordance with the President’s priorities.” Typically that money is allocated to states on July 1.
In Washington, this would translate to a $137 million instant cut, he said. That’s 15.6% of what the state receives in federal K-12 funding.
Reykdal issued a stark warning in a statement.
“The Office of Management and Budget’s failure to use transparent and fair processes, paired with the Department of Education’s intentionally feckless effort to support public education in the United States, is only one example of how our Republic is being burnt to the ground by this Administration,” he said.
McClatchy has reached out to the White House and U.S. Department of Education seeking comment.
An Office of Management and Budget spokesman said via email that this is an ongoing programmatic review of funding for education. He said initial findings reveal that many grant programs “have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical leftwing agenda.”
“In one case, NY public schools used English Language Acquisition funds to promote illegal immigrant advocacy organizations,” the spokesman said. “In another, Washington state used funds to direct illegal immigrants towards scholarships intended for American students. In yet another, School Improvement funds were used to conduct a seminar on ‘queer resistance in the arts.’”
He emphasized that no decisions have yet been made.
This comes as President Donald Trump’s administration has sought to make far-reaching cuts to federal funding, programs and jobs. Earlier this year the federal Education Department announced a formal probe had been launched into OSPI over its gender-inclusion requirements.
Now Reykdal, who served as a Democratic state lawmaker before being elected to run OSPI, is telling Washington families to brace for potential impact.
The following funding is at risk, Reykdal says:
Title I, Part C — migrant education
Title II, Part A — professional learning for educators
Title III, Part A — English language learners
Title IV, Parts A and B — before- and after-school programs, as well as additional programs to encourage supplemental learning
Congress had already allocated funding for the 2025-26 school year in March via a continuing resolution which Trump then signed, Reykdal said.
“The rule of law is on its final breath, and it has become clear that Congress is incapable of defending itself from the Executive Branch that is intent on destroying the separation of powers and the checks and balances inherent in having a Congress,” he said.
“It is mind boggling and disastrous to watch members of Congress, in the majority and in the minority, put up no legal fight as they get trampled by this negligent and careless Administration.”
Reykdal is calling on attorneys general in each state to team up to defend the separation of powers created by the U.S. Constitution.
About 7% of the state’s education budget comes from the federal government, the superintendent previously told McClatchy.
This story was originally published July 2, 2025 at 10:22 AM.
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