The Learning Curve: Trump Admin Unfreezes (Some) Education Funding

The Trump administration late last week announced they would unfreeze a portion of the nearly $7 billion in education grants they’d frozen the day before they were set to be released. The restored grants support summer and after-school programming at schools. Money for everything from migrant education to English learner instruction to teacher training still remains in limbo. 

The unfrozen funds only account for a small amount of the total grants California education officials argue are being illegally withheld by the Trump administration. Of the $50 million withheld from San Diego County schools, Trump’s latest move restores about $14 million. No Imperial County school received the funding, meaning the entirety of the nearly $10 million withheld from them remains frozen.  

That means schools in both counties are still without nearly $46 million in combined funding they’d already included in their budgets for the coming school year. There’s no timeline, or indication, that the feds will budge on the remaining funds. 

Only five of San Diego County’s more than 40 districts are actually set to receive a meaningful amount of the restored funding: the San Diego County Office of Education, San Diego Unified, Sweetwater Union High, Grossmont Union High and Mountain Empire Unified. According to numbers provided by the county office, Julian Union was set to receive $3. (Not a typo, folks.)

The districts that are having some of their funding restored are some of the largest and most urban in the region. Many of the county’s smaller, and more rural school districts, for which the money may be most needed, however, remain empty-handed. Those include districts like Ramona, Borrego Springs, Jamul-Dulzura, Alpine and Warner. 

But even with the release of this portion of funds, the Trump administration’s political grandstanding wasn’t over. In a letter, officials included a warning to districts to only use the funds for “allowable activities,” that do not violate a list of laws that includes the U.S. Constitution and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  

The letter didn’t get into specifics, but reading the tea leaves, it’s likely meant to advance the administration’s culture war. Administration officials previously threatened to cut funding from districts that implement diversity, equity and inclusion programs conservatives have demonized in recent years. They’ve also threatened legal action against California schools that don’t banish trans children from school sports. 

Officials for the Office of Management and Budget didn’t shy away from the blatantly political nature of the original freeze in communications with media. They characterized it as a programmatic review of the funding but added that “initial findings show that many of these grant programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical leftwing agenda,” in an email to KPBS. 

Education officials are still pushing hard for the release of the rest of the frozen funds. Officials in more than 20 states and a coalition of school districts and educators have each sued the Trump administration to try to force the release of the grants. Even Republican politicians have gotten in on the action, with 10 senators signing onto a letter pleading with Trump to release the funds.  

The stakes for them may be high. An analysis conducted by the New America think tank suggests that 91 of the 100 districts set to lose the most per-pupil are in Republican represented districts. 

Mr. Barrera Goes to Washington: On Wednesday, longtime San Diego Unified Trustee Richard Barrera testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Barrera, who announced a run for Superintendent of California earlier this year, was invited by Democratic Senator from Delaware Lisa Blunt Rochester.  

The hearing was centered on a plan to create a national private school voucher system, a longtime conservative goal, as a way to improve student literacy. During his testimony, Barrera touted San Diego Unified’s national test scores, while also throwing some political punches. 

“What can the federal government do to support the growth of literacy in students across this country?” Barrera said. 

He offered three suggestions. 

Unfreeze federal education grants: “You can continue the bipartisan advocacy effort to demand President Trump releases $5.4 billion in illegally impounded funds in a budget you have already passed … These are the funds specifically to invest in the development of the capacity of educators to teach literacy.” 

Fully fund special education services: “The $58 billion that you’re about to siphon off in this private school voucher scheme is four times the amount that you’re currently spending on special education. You have a responsibility, and you’ve had it for 50 years, to fund 40 percent of the cost of special education in this country.” 

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, passed in 1975, requires districts to provide a “free appropriate education” to students with disabilities. The law guarantees students with disabilities receive special services should they need them. 

Those services can be costly, so the law also required the federal government to fund 40 percent of the costs of districts’ special education programs. The federal government, however, has never fulfilled that promise. Currently, they only fund about 10 percent of district costs. 

In recent years, the number of students receiving special education services has incresed sharply, putting even more fiscal pressure on underfunded districts. 

Push back on Trump’s immigration crackdown: “You can ask, in fact demand, the President of the United States stops terrorizing families in my district who are frankly afraid of sending their kids to school. A second grader who’s trying to read in their classroom … shouldn’t have to worry about whether their best friend will be at school the next day or whether they’ll see their parent when they get home.” 

SDCCD and SDSU Unveil New Transfer Guarantee, Building 

Officials from San Diego State University and the San Diego Community College District on Thursday inked a new memorandum of understanding that guarantees admission to some of the community colleges’ transfers. Students who complete an associate degree for transfer, meet the CSU’s existing eligibility requirements, like having major-specific minimum GPA, will be automatically accepted to SDSU. 

The new transfer guarantee would apply to graduates from any of SDCCD’s three community college campuses beginning in the fall 2026 semester. The guarantee will apply to basically all majors save for nursing and some programs that require auditions, like dance and music. 

For years, California’s community college students have struggled to successfully transfer to four-year universities. A state audit released last year found that only about one in five community college students reached a four-year university within four years. That’s due, at least in part, to a byzantine transfer process that’s difficult to navigate. 

“Together, we will expand access to higher education and offer new pathways to transfers and degree completion for students pursuing careers that are in high demand in this region and across the country,” SDSU President Adela de la Torre said during the event. 

The leaders also announced a plan to build a new 5-story STEM-focused building with classrooms, teaching and research labs and student support facilities in SDSU’s so-called Mission Valley Innovation District. The facility is meant to be a place San Diego Community College students could receive instruction from SDSU professors and would be one of the first collaborative efforts of its kids between a community college system and a CSU, according to college officials. 

The Innovation District the plot of land surrounding the university’s new Snapdragon Stadium. In addition to academic facilities, the project intends to include about 4,600 units of housing, a hotel, and thousands of square feet of retail space.  

What We’re Writing 

Over the past decade, enrollment at San Diego County public schools has declined by 27,000 students – an about five percent decrease. State officials project schools will likely lose another 112,000 students in the coming decades as birth rates continue to decline and the increasing cost of living continues to force San Diegans out of the region. If those projections come to fruition, the massive declines will force hard decisions about school closures and staff layoffs.  

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