On Monday, July 14, California joined 23 other states in suing President Donald Trump’s administration over the Department of Education freezing more than $900 million in federal funding meant for California.
Pasadena Unified School District officials were tuned in.
The federal government’s actions come weeks after PUSD officials completed the budget approval process for the fiscal year.
PUSD has been dealing with financial troubles, and along with its budget approved a fiscal-stabilization plan meant to guide the district plans to cut around $80 million over the next three fiscal years.
Attorneys general in the states suing the government say the freezing of funds violates federal statutes governing the federal budgeting process and violates the constitutional separation of powers.
“With no rhyme or reason, the Trump Administration abruptly froze billions of dollars in education funding just weeks before the start of the school year,” California Attorney General Bonta said in a statement. “In doing so, it has threatened the existence of programs that provide critical after school and summer learning opportunities, that teach English to students, and that provide educational technology to our classrooms. Taken together with his other attacks on education, President Trump seems comfortable risking the academic success of a generation to further his own misguided political agenda. But as with so many of his other actions, this funding freeze is blatantly illegal, and we’re confident the court will agree.”
Here’s what the funding freeze means for PUSD:
How much money could the federal funding freeze cost PUSD?
In a statement released on July 1, PUSD said that out of the $6.8 billion federal freeze nationwide, an estimated $1.2 million in revenue loss for the current fiscal year would directly affect the district.
What programs of the district will be impacted by the loss of funding?
The district said the potential loss of revenue would come from the following areas: Title II Part A: $604,612, Title III: $211,452, Title III Immigrant: $47,782 and Title IV Part A: $338,635.
Here’s what each area funds, according to the California Department of Education:
-Title II Part A is a U.S. Department of Education grant program that provides supplemental funding to help support effective instruction.
-Title III is a federal program that assists with language instruction for English learners and immigrant students.
-Title III Immigrant program funds are used for eligible immigrant students and their families through programs and services to ensure immigrants students meet the same challenging grade level and graduation standards as mainstream students.
-Title IV Part A is a federal program to increase capacity to provide all students access to a well-rounded education, improve conditions for learning and improve the use of technology for increase in students digital literacy.
“We are working with state and local partners to understand the implications for staffing, programs, and our recently adopted budget and Fiscal Stabilization Plan,” a district statement read.
Does this loss of funding change anything about the budget process and long-term planning that the district just completed?
According to the district, no immediate changes have been made to the budget or stabilization plan that was recently passed. In addition, officials said the district had not received any additional guidance from the state or federal agencies.
“This is not just a budget issue, this is about our children, our employees, and our commitment to equity,” PUSD Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco said in a statement. “I stand in solidarity with California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond. The federal government made a commitment, and we have programs in place, students depending on them, and educators ready to deliver. We need these dollars. We call on the federal government to honor its promise.
Will the loss of funding lead to the cutting of more positions?
The district did not say whether the funding freeze would lead to more staffing cuts. Due to ongoing financial issues the district laid off teachers and staff members during this past school year and its fiscal stabilization plan calls for the cutting of 120 full-time positions over the next three fiscal years.
What is the district doing in response to this funding delay?
PUSD said it is working with state officials, the California Department of Education and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office to assess the full impact of the funding delay.
The district provided a statement in response to questions about the impact but did not make Chief Business Officer Saman Bravo-Karimi available for comment.