Trump Funding Freeze Is Another 'Nail In The Coffin’ For Public Schools

The withholding of funds could lead to teacher layoffs and the cancellation of after school programs for millions of kids.

When class is back in session at the Deer Valley Unified School District in Phoenix, Arizona, on July 31, its 33,000 students and 4,000 employees could be without critical programs for educators and children alike.

Late last month, the Trump administration sent an email to every state notifying them that the Department of Education would be withholding nearly $7 billion in federal funds, so it could figure out if the programs aligned with the federal government’s priorities.

“When federal dollars are being held hostage, it makes my job really difficult,” Curtis Finch, the Deer Valley superintendent, told HuffPost.

Across the country, school districts were thrown into chaos. Congress had already allocated funding, and school districts typically begin planning for the next school year several months in advance, so by the time the freeze was announced, budgets had already been set for the upcoming school year.

At top of mind for Finch are the curriculum experts employed by the school district. These are the educators who “teach our teachers on how to correctly execute our curriculum,” he says.