A freeze on federal funds used to support after-school and summer programs throughout Florida could soon be lifted. That news comes after a push from a group of Republican U.S. Senators and a lawsuit by Democratic teachers’ unions. But with classes set to start within a matter of weeks, many local school districts are still scrambling.
The funds that were paused normally go to help schools with a significant percentage of low-income students. For professional development for teachers. To teach English as a second language. And for after-school and summer programs. Officials say the Trump administration has now agreed to release some of those funds. But it’s unclear which dollars will go where. For now, Tallahassee Democratic Rep. Allison Tant says she’s especially concerned about the impact on schools in the poorest neighborhoods.
‘By definition, Title I schools are the schools with students that need the most support,’ said Tant. ‘The most extra support. These are not schools in upper-middle-class neighborhoods. These are schools that serve students and human beings who have greater need.’
Tallahassee Democratic Representative Gallop Franklin, who represents one of the poorest counties in Florida, says schools were expecting to receive that money about July 1st.
‘And when they woke up, they weren’t there. And when that happened, and they said, ‘Oh, yeah, we’re holding on to them to do some assessments and evaluations before releasing them.’ And that’s when the fire started, and the conversations started to happen.’
Franklin says that’s made it hard for schools to plan. That’s also been a concern for Lili Murphy, the executive director of Florida After School. She says now is the time for members of her organization to be getting ready, but not knowing whether the funds would be there has made that hard. She says the program spends nearly 70 million dollars for about 56-thousand students statewide.
‘They would normally be in the planning stages of purchasing materials, hiring their staff for the fall, getting programs ready to begin operating so that they can commence at the same time that the school does,’ Murphy said, ‘so that parents have care and are able to work and not worry about where their kids are, and that their kids are safe and well taken care of.’
What the cuts could mean for parents and kids is a significant concern.
Leon County School board member Marcus Nicolas says the loss of after-school and summer programs could put parents who rely on the tutoring, snacks and care for their children in a bind.
‘To be able to progress, these kinds of programs are crucial,’ he said. ‘When you’re talking about after-school snacks, when you’re talking about tutoring services for those students who may not get the information the first time around in the classroom and need to have an individualized lesson, that’s what these 21st Century programs are designed and built for.’
Meanwhile, plans for a Democratic-backed lawsuit are underway. Andrew Spar is president of the Florida Education Association — the state teachers’ union. He says his group is joining a lawsuit with other teachers’ organizations to argue that all the funds are needed and must be released.
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