Education Department will release some frozen grants supporting after-school and summer programs

By ANNIE MA AP Learning Writer WASHINGTON AP The Training Department will release billion in previously withheld grant money for after-school programs days after Republican senators sent a letter imploring the Trump administration to allow frozen teaching money to be sent to states Related Articles MSU Denver creating Juilliard of mariachi in new music major How Trump plans to dismantle the Teaching Department after Supreme Court ruling Colorado sues Trump administration over million in withheld coaching funding More than states sue Trump administration over frozen after-school and summer effort funding The Trump administration wants to eradicate DEI in higher coaching These Black scholars still plan to thrive President Donald Trump s administration on July withheld more than billion in federal grants for after-school and summer programs adult literacy and English language instruction as part of a review to ensure spending aligned with the White House s priorities In a letter sent Wednesday Republican senators disclosed the withheld money supported programs that had longstanding bipartisan help and were critical to local communities We share your concern about taxpayer money going to fund radical left-wing programs the senators wrote to the Office of Management and Budget However we do not believe that is happening with these funds A senior administration official stated Friday that the programmatic review of the funding for st Century Group Learning Centers which backing after-school and summer offerings had been completed The funding will be issued to states the official stated The rest of the withheld grants close to billion continues to be reviewed for bias by the Office of Management and Budget Without the money school districts and nonprofits such as the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club of America had stated they would have to close or scale back educational programs this fall The money being distributed Friday pays for free programs before and after school and during the summer providing child care so low-income parents can work or giving options to families who live in rural areas with inadequate other child care providers The programs go beyond child care offering reading and math help to kids along with enrichment in science and the arts On Monday more than states had filed a lawsuit challenging the billion funding freeze The lawsuit led by California argued withholding the money was unconstitutional and numerous low-income families would lose access to critical after-school care if the grants were not distributed David Schuler executive director of AASA an association of school superintendents praised the release of after-school money but reported that the remaining mentoring funding should not be withheld Districts should not be in this impossible position where the Administration is denying funds that had already been appropriated to our constituents schools by Congress Schuler explained in a report The remaining funds must be published right away America s children are counting on it Sen Patty Murray D-Washington called on the White House to release the remainder of the funding in a report Friday Every penny of this funding must flow promptly Murray mentioned in a comment Whether or not parents know the after-school scheme they depend on will exist should not depend on whether Republicans will push back against Trump s lawlessness The Associated Press training coverage receives financial endorsement from multiple private foundations AP is solely responsible for all content Find AP s standards for working with philanthropies a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP org