Concerns mount in Florida over Trump's funding freeze affecting after-school programs

Abigail Hasebroock, South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Jul 10, 2025

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Officials raised concerns Thursday about how a federal funding freeze could affect school-related programs in South Florida — with the expected loss of tens of millions of dollars this upcoming academic year.

U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, a South Florida Democrat, joined Palm Beach County School Board member Virginia Savietto and Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County Chief Impact Officer Pablo Tejada on Thursday for a news conference aimed at urging federal lawmakers to release the crucial funding.

Palm Beach County is estimated to lose more than $30 million for the 2025-2026 school year, including after-school care and summer programs, according to the Palm Beach County School District.

The grant-funding freeze for schools comes as the Trump administration reviews how billions of dollars are spent to assess if it is in alignment with the president’s values. The funding pause could affect schools, day cares, summer camps and other programs that provide services to low-income families.

Alonza Lloyd, who also was at the news conference, is a 20-year-old junior at Florida International University studying to become a cardiologist, a goal that he said wouldn’t have been possible without the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County.

Lloyd is worried, though, that the county’s Boys & Girls Clubs are in jeopardy due to the funding freeze. “It just honestly breaks my heart because it not only affects the family, but it affects the students and young children the most as well,” Lloyd said at the news conference.

“Some young children, the only thing they look forward to is being at after-school programs,” he said.

Federal funding awards typically are released on July 1 but that has yet to happen this year, and it’s unknown if or when that could change as the U.S. Department of Education has not provided a timeline for when the review will be completed.

Palm Beach County Schools spokesperson Steven King, who didn’t attend Thursday’s conference, said in a statement that “a hold in releasing these previously-appropriated funds would create significant challenges, requiring the School District to eliminate services that support our students and educators.”

“This would jeopardize reading and academic support for students, pause essential training for teachers and principals, and reduce after-school programs for families,” King said in the statement. “This withholding of funds could jeopardize services that have been in place for decades and, if eliminated, will be very difficult to restore.”

Palm Beach County school district officials this week released a breakdown of the financial impact to programs, which include:

— 21st Century (After-School): About $9.7 million.

— Professional Development: About $6.9 million.

— English-Learner Services: About $4.6 million.

— Academic Enrichment: About $4.5 million.

— Adult Education and Integrated English Literacy: About $3.7 million.

— Migrant Education: About $1.9 million.

“These funds are not extra, they are essential,” Savietto said. “This is not just a budget issue. This is a student-success issue. This is a workforce issue. This is a community stability issue.

“You know why I know this? Because I lived it. I came from Argentina when I was 13 years old. I did not know English. And I was one of those students, and after 35 years I stand here today as a School Board member because I had access to programs like this.”

Frankel said she will be sending a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, asking questions about when the Trump administration will finish the review of funds, if the administration has conducted outreach or offered support, and why the review wasn’t started sooner.

The loss of after-school care funds is especially significant because the afternoons, when schools are out but parents are still at work — or the “witching area,” as Frankel called it — are when many children are most vulnerable to getting into trouble or being in danger themselves.

For these “latchkey kids,” the Boys & Girls Clubs are a “pipeline for the next workforce,” a way to prevent crime, and a chance for them to play sports and make art, Tejada said during the news conference.

The Boys & Girls Clubs also provide free meals to kids, which is something that Lloyd is now helping with as he works part time as a nutritional assistant.

“It’s just honestly sad with what’s happening right now,” he said.

For Broward County Public Schools, “the freeze on federal funds will have significant implications and impact our ability to provide much-needed support for our students,” spokesman John Sullivan wrote in a recent statement.

“We are analyzing the full extent of this impact and will continue working closely with our federal lawmakers to restore these funds as quickly as possible,” Sullivan wrote.

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