Robert Tann/Summit Daily News
After nearly a month of waiting for funds that were promised in the spring, the remaining $66 million in federal education grants previously frozen by the Trump administration will be released to Colorado schools.
The Trump administration made the announcement on Friday, stating that the U.S. Department of Education would be releasing more than $5 billion in grant funding nationwide for Title I-C, II-A, III-A, IV-A, and Adult Education and Family Literacy that were withheld from districts in anticipation of the 2025-2026 school year.
“Today, all the withheld education funding from the Trump Administration has been returned to our classrooms, where it should have been this whole time,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a written statement. “While I am thrilled this funding has been returned to our students, this uncertainty created significant chaos for families and schools with the school year only weeks away.”
School districts across the state received word that they would not be getting nearly $80 million in federal grant funding — which had already been approved by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump in the spring — mere hours before the funds were set to disperse on July 1.
State education leaders and advocates immediately criticized the decision, arguing it would strip resources from before-and after-school programs, English-learning programs and aid to improve the attainment and graduation rates of immigrant children. Many feared educators could lose their jobs if the once-budgeted funds were not accounted for by the time districts start preparing for the start of the school year.
The Federal Office of Management and Budget claimed the frozen funds were being evaluated to ensure the money was spent in line with the administration’s goals.
The roughly $13 million in 21st Century Community Learning Centers program funding for before- and after-school programs in Colorado was the first to be approved for release on July 21. The Colorado Department of Education still awaits a grant award notification for the remaining funds.
Last year, Colorado received the following amount from the frozen grants:
Title 1-C for migrant education: $7,189,738
Title II-A for professional development: $25,937,647
Title III-A for English-learner services: $11,172,632
Title IV-A for academic enrichment: $13,529,608
Adult Education and Family Literacy: $8,814,117
Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Cordova said the state anticipates similar allocations for the coming year, which will promptly be awarded to school districts and BOCES after the department receives the grant award notification and completes a review of the assurances.
“Federal dollars provide critical support for every child in Colorado — no matter where they live — to learn, grow, and thrive. We are grateful to US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and to the many educators, district leaders, community partners, elected officials, and public education supporters who advocated for the release of these much-needed funds,” Cordova said in a written statement.
Earlier this month, Colorado joined 24 other states in suing the U.S. Department of Education over the $6.8 billion in frozen funding for school districts across the country. Polis also joined 17 other Democratic governors in writing a letter demanding the release of those funds.
