Gov. Josh Shapiro on Monday joined a multistate lawsuit to challenge the Trump Administration’s decision to “unlawfully withhold $230 million” in education funding.
That’s according to a press release from the Shapiro Administration.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of Rhode Island, argues the U.S. Department of Education (USED) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) have "unlawfully frozen" over $6 billion in education funding for K-12 schools and adult education.
Twenty-five other states and the District of Columbia also are parties to the suit, the governor's office said.
Money 'abruptly and arbitrarily' withheld
The Shapiro Administration said the U.S. Department of Education “abruptly and arbitrarily” withheld $230 million in grant funding for Pennsylvania schools on June 30.
That funding is typically available to states to begin planning for the upcoming academic year on July 1 — just one day after Secretary Linda McMahon and the Department of Education froze the funding, according to the administration.
In its press release, the Shapiro Administration argued that “many of the projects funded by these dollars support vital programs for Pennsylvania schools, impacting key teacher training programs as well as programs that make school more accessible to children with special learning needs.”
“By abruptly withholding the $230 million it had promised to Pennsylvania schools, USDE has left Pennsylvania taxpayers on the hook,” according to Shapiro’s office.
OMB: Funds misused for 'radical leftwing agenda'
The Hill on Monday reported that a spokesperson for the federal Office of Management and Budget said the pause was part of "an ongoing programmatic review of education funding," adding that "the priorities do not align with the goals of the administration."
"Initial findings have shown that many of these grant programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical leftwing agenda," The Hill quoted that spokesperson as saying.
"In one case, New York public schools used English Language Acquisition funds to promote illegal immigrant advocacy organizations. In another, Washington state used funds to direct illegal immigrants towards scholarships intended for American students,” the spokesperson said.
Shapiro: '... they’ll have to go through me'
Shapiro said the Trump Administration "is trying to take away dollars that were committed to Pennsylvania — this time from our schools."
He said school districts rely on the funds "to meet their budgets, train high-quality teachers, provide afterschool programs for kids, and so much more."
"Today, I’m suing to force the Trump Administration to deliver the money our students and schools were promised and are owed," Shapiro said. "Because if anyone tries to hurt students here in Pennsylvania, they’ll have to go through me.”
Breakdown of what's frozen
This is a breakdown of $230 million in frozen federal education funding for Pennsylvania, according to the Shapiro Administration:
- $11 million under Title I-C: These funds address educational needs of children who move frequently due to family members’ agricultural work. The program aims to ensure these students, who often face disruptions to their education, have access to quality educational services and can meet the same academic standards as their peers. The Shapiro Administration argues agriculture is a critical industry in Pennsylvania, which supports over 600,000 jobs and contributes $132 billion a year.
- $70 million under Title II-A, Supporting Effective Instruction: These funds provide financial assistance to recruit new teachers, improve the skills of teachers and the quality of instruction in core school subjects in elementary and secondary schools.
- $20 million under Title III-A, English Language Acquisition, Enhancement and Academic Achievement: These funds support language instruction for children with limited English proficiency.
- $55 million under Title IV-A, Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants (SSAE): These funds finance the SSAE grant program, which bolsters student learning and improves technology access.
- $54 million under Title IV-B, 21st Century Community Learning Centers: These funds provide critical before and after school programming like service learning; drug and violence prevention programs; counseling programs; technology education programs; financial literacy programs; environmental literacy programs; mathematics, science, career and technical programs; internship or apprenticeship programs and more.
- $18.6 million of Adult Education and Family Literacy Act Grant (AEFLA) funds: These funds help adults who are parents or family members of students to access education.
- $2 million of Integrated English Literacy and Civic Education Grants (IELCE) funds: These funds provide programs to provide English literacy and civics education services. Some of these services include English language instruction and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and civic participation. These programs also connect adults to job opportunities.
Latest lawsuit by Shapiro
This is the latest in a number of lawsuits the Democratic governor has waged against Donald Trump since the president took office in January.
Other lawsuits challenged a freeze to federal funding, cuts to public health protections , a decision to revoke hundreds of millions of dollars in school district funding and cuts to the Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) program, which provided federal dollars to food banks.
