Wisconsin joins coalition to sue Trump over $6.8B withheld from education

Wisconsin is one of 24 states and the District of Columbia to sue the Trump administration on Monday for withholding more than $6.8 billion in education funding.

The decision to freeze funding for six long-standing federal programs just weeks before the school year is about to start is “unconstitutional, unlawful, and arbitrary,” Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said in a statement.

“Depriving our schools of critical resources is bad for our schools, bad for students, and bad for Wisconsin,” Kaul said.

Each year, the Department of Education releases about 25 percent of the funds for these programs by July 1. But this year, state agencies were told on June 30 that the Department of Education would not be “obligating funds for” six programs.

In Wisconsin, an estimated $72 million in federal education funding is frozen.

Community learning centers are among the programs hit by the freeze. In Wisconsin, more than 20,000 students attended the centers at 168 sites last year.

Last year, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction received $19 million for the centers. The program supports students at high-poverty schools through before- and after-school programs that offer academic and social support and provide free meals to help students who might suffer food insecurity. 

“Wisconsin schools depend on these dollars to serve kids. Make no mistake, stopping this money has had and will continue to harm our families and communities,” Jill Underly, state superintendent of public instruction, said in a statement.

Now, school districts in Wisconsin and across the country are left scrambling, Underly said.

DPI might have to lay off more than 20 staff members who help school districts meet federal requirements and deliver services statewide.

Wisconsin’s technical colleges are also impacted by this federal funding freeze.

More than $7.5 million in adult education grants are on hold, threatening programs that serve nearly 34,000 adult learners statewide.

Without the federal funds, adults working toward a high school diploma or improving their English skills could lose access to the classes and support.

The Wisconsin Technical College System Board has already started canceling professional development activities, and staff layoffs might soon follow, further disrupting services, according to Kaul’s office.

“This sudden funding loss leaves Wisconsin’s technical colleges facing budget shortfalls that threaten the stability of these essential programs,” Kaul said in a statement.

The coalition has filed a motion asking for preliminary injunction to release the money. The withheld money includes about 14 percent of all federal funding for elementary and secondary education across the country.