After $43 million withheld from Kansas schools, these key programs could be cut

An abrupt decision to hold back millions of dollars in federal funding for Kansas schools threatens to make it more difficult for some students to learn English and for poor districts to provide after-school activities.

The funding freeze, which will also affect programs designed to improve student achievement and help recruit and retain teachers, comes as part of the Trump administration’s effort to crack down on schools that it says are promoting “a radical left-wing agenda.”

The Department of Education has indefinitely delayed almost $43 million in grant funding for Kansas schools as part of a nearly $7 billion funding freeze for schools across the country, Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson told state school board members Tuesday.

“We don’t know if we’ll get this money back,” said Melanie Haas, a state school board member whose district includes much of eastern Wyandotte County and northeast Johnson County.

“I think what people really need to understand about this is that it’s a disproportionate hit on a lot of communities that are underserved and a lot of subgroups that are underserved.”

Highly diverse and impoverished districts in Kansas’ urban cores will bear the brunt of programs being defunded, along with small rural districts that serve many students whose parents are migrant workers, Haas said.

Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, one of the poorest and most diverse districts in the state, said in a statement Wednesday that the district is poised to lose approximately $4.9 million in funding — much of which has already been committed to staff salaries and benefits.

“Public schools across the country depend on federal funding to help meet the needs of their students — and Kansas City, Kansas, is no exception,” school officials said in a statement sent to parents.

“This funding pause affects programs that directly support some of our most vulnerable students — including those from low-income families, English language learners, and students with disabilities,” school officials said.

Federal officials say those programs have been misused.

The Office of Management and Budget, or OMB, said last week that an initial review found that some schools used grant money to support immigrants in the country illegally and promote LGBTQ+ inclusion.

In an email statement to The Star, Gov. Laura Kelly said she’s “shocked” by the decision not to release the nearly $43 million in K-12 funding.

“This cut harms Kansas schools and students, particularly in our rural areas,” Kelly said. “Kansas teachers should be focused on preparing for the upcoming school year instead of being forced to navigate this unwarranted cut to funding.”

Kelly continued: “Kansas State Legislative leadership should use their influence to protect STEM education, career counseling, and after-school programs.”

Trump administration officials say decisions about whether individual grants should be released or permanently withheld have not been made yet.

What programs would lose funding?

Federal funding for the frozen programs, which was approved by Congress in March, is normally disbursed to state departments of education, which then distribute money to local school districts.

The biggest grant payment for Kansas public schools currently on hold is a $15.8 million allocation for professional development training that districts provide teachers and administrators. Schools have used the money to recruit and retain educators during the state’s ongoing teacher shortage.

Also on hold is a $8.3 million grant payment for a program that promotes academic achievement, digital literacy and technology usage.

So is a $7.8 million grant for before- and after-school programs, including academic enrichment and tutoring in high-poverty and low-performing schools. Over $2 million of Kansas’ disbursement was set to go to KCK public schools.

Federal education officials also froze $6.2 million in Kansas funding for a program that helps support students of migrant parents whose seasonal agricultural jobs require them to relocate often.

Rounding out the withheld funds is $4.8 million for a program that helps teach students whose first language isn’t English.

“This is also a civil rights issue because civil rights laws require that school districts make sure that those who are learning English still have access to school,” said Haas, the state school board member.

“The districts will continue to be on the hook from the letter of the federal law with or without the federal funding.”

Impact of funding freeze

The Star reached out to each public school system in Johnson and Wyandotte Counties to ask how the potential loss of funds could affect services that students and educators rely on.

The four districts that responded painted a dire picture of what defunding could mean.

“Unfortunately, this action makes all of our jobs harder and unnecessarily damages schools in Shawnee Mission and across the state of Kansas,” said David Smith, a spokesperson for the Shawnee Mission school district. He said his district will lose out on just under $1 million unless the funds are released.

KCK public schools would lose almost $5 million.

State data shows the Kansas City, Kansas school district has the highest poverty rate of all public school systems. The district also has a particularly high rate of students whose first language is not English and rely on instruction services supported by federal funding.

“Much of this funding is already committed to staff salaries and benefits — which makes this freeze especially challenging,” school district officials said in their message to parents.

“If the freeze continues, we will be forced to reallocate other district funds to cover the shortfall, which may place strain on other programs and also eliminate services for students.”

KCK schools were poised to receive more than $2 million in funding for after-school programs, including KidZone, where students participate in enrichment and college preparation activities.

KCK schools had also been approved to receive $855,000 for English language learning services and $580,000 that the district says it was set to spend on “student social-emotional supports, college and career opportunities.”

Also, $1 million for recruiting and retaining educators is being withheld, as is $346,000 for helping students whose parents work seasonal agriculture jobs.

Olathe Public Schools said its own approximately $1 million in potential funding cuts would also primarily affect the district’s most at-risk populations, including low-income students, English language learners and students with disabilities.

Officials with the Piper Unified School District in Wyandotte County said the school system will lose out on roughly $78,286 if the funding freeze remains in place.

“While these amounts may appear modest in comparison to larger districts, they are deeply meaningful to us and are already earmarked for staff stipends, instructional programming, and student support services that touch lives every day,” Piper Superintendent Jessica Dain said in an email.

“Any loss of these funds would force difficult decisions, either scaling back services, or reallocating funds from other priorities to uphold our commitments to students.”

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—The Star’s Sofi Zeman contributed reporting to this story.