The Trump administration froze $6B in education funding. How could Long Island schools be impacted?

Long Island school leaders reacted with concern this week to the news that the Trump administration had frozen more than $6 billion in federal funding for initiatives such as after-school and summer programs, English language instruction and professional development for teachers.

The money was to be distributed on Tuesday, but the Associated Press reported that the U.S. Education Department said in a notice issued Monday that it would not be released while the programs are under review.

“The Department remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President’s priorities and the Department’s statutory responsibilities,” Education Department officials wrote in the notice, which was obtained by The Associated Press.

The AP reported that Boys and Girls clubs could also be affected.

On Long Island, the impact of this action remained unclear Wednesday. Some educators said they had not yet received word of any funding to their districts that had been affected. 

But Bob Vecchio, executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association, said,  "Obviously, any withholding of funds for grants that were already in process is highly unusual and unwelcomed and would impact districts that rely on federal funding the most."

Federal funding makes up an average of 5 to 10% of Long Island school districts’ budgets, according to Vecchio. If funding is withheld for programs that the federal government requires schools to provide, he said schools would need to make cuts to other programs, thus "shifting the cost" to local districts.

The state Education Department did not respond to requests for comment.

Summer camp, testing, translation

According to the Learning Policy Institute, a think tank, more than $400 million in federal funding to New York could be withheld, making it the third-most impacted state behind California and Texas.

Mary Kelly, superintendent of the Bridgehampton school district, said she was most concerned about the potential impact on 21st Century Community Learning Centers. She said her district receives approximately $430,000 per year, which funds after-school programming and a popular summer camp.

"The participation that we get speaks to the quality of the programs that we offer. The kids are interested and want to be here," Kelly said. "I can only surmise that they would be devastated to not have access to those opportunities."

She also noted that English language learners make up 23% of students in the district.

"Losing that funding would negatively impact the district from a financial standpoint because we still need to support those students in some way. ... We would need to make adjustments to account for the loss in aid," Kelly said. 

In Uniondale, schools Superintendent Monique Darrisaw-Akil said the funding loss could affect two Title III programs. The two programs, which included nearly $266,000 in federal funding last year, help pay for mandatory testing for students whose first language is not English, as well as professional development for teachers, translation, family engagement and other programs, she said.

"There's so many different cultures and communities that are made up in our school district," she said. Educators and members of the community, she said, want students to "have great careers, whether it's serving our country in the military or going to college or some type of secondary career or technical program."

For instance, she said, Uniondale High School’s most recent salutatorian was born in El Salvador and came to the United States at the age of 9, without a strong command of English.

This year, she said, the student graduated with an Advanced Regents diploma with honors, among other honors. 

Darrisaw-Akil said she was still awaiting word on whether her district would be affected.

"We're very optimistic these funds will be released," she said.