The top education official in Michigan is pleading with the Trump administration to return over $7 billion in federal funds that are being withheld from schools around the country.
That includes around $160 million in Michigan.
The funds were scheduled to be disbursed Tuesday after being approved by Congress earlier this year as part of a continuing budget resolution that President Donald Trump signed in March. However, according to Chalkbeat, the Trump administration announced on Monday that it would not issue the monies.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Michigan State Superintendent Michael Rice stated that these federal funds help some of our most vulnerable and economically disadvantaged pupils. The authorized funds should be made available right away by the US Department of Education.
According to Rice, the funding support academic enrichment ($38.3 million), before- and after-school programs ($36.7 million), staff professional development ($63.7 million), assistance for English learners ($12.8 million), and initiatives that support migrant education ($5.4 million).
According to Rice, local school districts were correctly relying on this authorized cash by July 1st, as was customary.
According to him, the Michigan Department of Education, which he is in charge of, is considering the negative effects of this withholding on students, employees, and schools in collaboration with colleagues nationwide and legal counsel.
Whether the agency is contemplating legal action was not clear Wednesday afternoon.
A White House Office of Management and Budget official stated on Wednesday that no decisions had yet been taken and that the decision to withhold the cash was a part of an ongoing programmatic evaluation of education financing.
According to the spokesperson, preliminary research has revealed that numerous grant schemes have been egregiously abused to fund extreme left-wing causes.
