Several Kansas City-area school districts are short millions of dollars they were counting on after the Trump administration withheld nearly $7 billion in already approved federal grants.
Ahead of the July 1 deadline, the U.S. Department of Education announced it would not disburse the funding to states before reviewing several federal grants. Schools use those dollars to cover costs for teacher training, before- and after-school programs, and English language learner and immigrant student support.
Superintendent Jennifer Collier said in a statement that more than $4.1 million in federal funding is frozen for Kansas City Public Schools, causing immediate consequences.
“These are not just numbers on a page,” Collier said. “These funds support adult learners pursuing new opportunities, educators committed to professional growth, and students working to overcome barriers and thrive in school.”
Adult education and literacy programs would have received $628,099, according to KCPS. Another $452,270 would have supported services for Afghan refugee students and $318,440 for broader refugee education programs.
Other impacted programs in the district include $967,621 to fund training for teachers and $797,086 to fund support for English language learners and immigrant students.
The school district said many of those dollars were already allocated to staff salaries and essential services. It is actively exploring every option to protect programs.
“But we cannot do this alone. We need our community to stand with us,” Collier said. “It is a moment that calls for unity, advocacy, and unwavering resolve. Our students deserve nothing less.”
Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools said in a statement the funding freeze could be a loss of about $4.9 million. The biggest hit would be more than $2 million for the district’s after-school programs like KidZone.
Another $1.1 million would have gone toward training, recruiting and retaining teachers, and $854,864 would have been for programs for English language learners.
“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,” the district said in a statement.
Olathe Public Schools said in a statement that the cuts primarily affect programs for their most at-risk populations. More than half of the $1 million in federal funding the school district anticipated is already obligated toward staff salaries and benefits.
That includes $130,627 withheld from mental health services for students and trauma-informed care.
“We are monitoring the situation closely, and if these federal funds remain withheld, our district will reallocate funding from other budget sources to reduce the impact of this budget reduction on our students and staff,” the school district said. “This would cause strain in other areas by forcing the district to reallocate funds.”
KCKPS officials said they’d also reallocate funding to address the shortfall, but they cautioned that could strain other programs and eliminate services for students.
Lee’s Summit Superintendent David Buck said in a message to families that his and other school districts build budgets months in advance based on federal and state commitments.
The school district anticipated $1.3 million from federal grants this school year.
“When those commitments shift — especially with no clear rationale — it impacts planning, trust, and most importantly, services for students,” Buck said. “The fact that the majority of funds withheld this year are used by school districts to support students who face economic hardships and other barriers is all the more disheartening.”
A federal grant for services and programs to support the district’s low-income students was cut by more than half, according to the district.
The district’s programs for English language learners and immigrant students saw a $70,000 cut. Officials said that’s smaller compared to other decreases, but the programs serve a growing student population.
Buck said the school district will keep services in the short term because of its fund balances and increased revenue from new construction in Jackson County, but it can’t maintain programs indefinitely without dedicated funding.
The Shawnee Mission School District said in a social media post that it’s facing a loss of nearly $1 million from the federal funding freeze. More than half of those funds would support recruiting, training and keeping teachers and principals.
“These funds support programs that are critical to student success in Shawnee Mission, particularly for some of the district’s most vulnerable students,” the district said. “The district is committed to ensuring that the work continues.”
SMSD officials said the U.S. Department of Education action shifts the financial burden onto local taxpayers, and the district will continue advocating for it to release the allocated funding to schools.