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In the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage school district, federal title dollars help keep teachers and staff members up-to-date on the latest instructional training. The funds also cover some of the cost of adult education classes in basic literacy skills and the district’s English language learner programming.

The federal money allocated for these programs was approved by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump earlier this year. But last week Burnsville and other districts across the country learned the Trump administration would 

 the legally mandated money for an unspecified amount of time in order to conduct a “review.”

The money — an estimated $74 million for Minnesota school districts — was supposed to be available by July 1. Instead, just weeks after school boards voted through their budgets for the upcoming school year, they learned significant portions would not be paid.

In the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage district, the missing funds total approximately $650,000, according to spokesperson Aaron Tinklenberg.

“Our budget is already set for the coming year. So if we don't ever receive these funds, we'll have a significant hole in our budget that will have to be addressed in future years,” Tinklenberg said.

He added that his district’s leaders are struggling to deal with the uncertainty created by the federal government.

“It's difficult to plan and prepare when you don't know what's going to happen, and especially when something that's been promised by law is suddenly withheld,” Tinklenberg said.

Federal programs affected by last week’s failure to pay designated funds include Title I-C, Title II-A, Title IV-B, Title III-A and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, according to Minnesota’s Department of Education.

Commissioner Willie Jett said the funds are “key” to student learning. Late last month, Jett sent a 

 to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon, urging the federal government to disburse the funds as promised.

“(The funds) provide critical resources for low-income students in both urban and rural Minnesota career and technical education, adult basic education, and teacher training — all of which strengthen our schools, workforce and communities,” Jett wrote.

The state’s education department has begun tracking federal funding disruptions on its 

. As of Tuesday morning, it had recorded more than $475 million in federal funding disruptions, some of which is still accessible due to temporary restraining orders or preliminary injunctions.

Not every district or school system is equally affected by the withholding. Federal dollars are targeted toward students who are more vulnerable than others, such as those with disabilities, students in families facing food insecurity or struggling with economic disadvantages.

In the small southern Minnesota district of St. James, where 64 percent of the student population is Latino, the ripple effects of withheld federal dollars meant to support English language learners have the potential to impact the entire district.

St. James superintendent Liam Dawson said he plans to reach into the district’s fund balance, which leaders have spent years rebuilding to deal with the freeze. The move will allow programming to continue uninterrupted.

“The freezing of the federal money does give us some concern,” Dawson said. “Especially in relation to what the budget forecast looks like in the state of Minnesota right now.”

Dawson worries staff training will be affected and district family liaison positions will have to be cut if the money is not ultimately disbursed. Families also may have more difficulty scheduling IEP meetings and students would receive less classroom support in the future.

“I’m just concerned with the pause (in federal funding) and the additional programming we've been able to provide, that without some of that in future years, we may not be able to offer as extensive of programming,” Dawson said.

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Elizabeth Shockman

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The money had been mandated by Congress for spending on the most vulnerable students as well as teacher professional development.

Trump administration withholds millions in funding from Minnesota schools

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