Federal freeze puts $4.1M already allocated for programs in KC schools in jeopardy
The federal government is withholding over $4.1 million in education funding for Kansas City Public Schools — funding the school district says is “critical.”
KCPS was counting on the funds for its programs. According to its statement from superintendent Jennifer Collier, the school district already allocated the money for a variety of programs “that directly impact our students, families, and educators.”
The cuts included more than $600,000 for adult education and literacy, $450,000 for Afghan refugee student services and $300,000 for broader refugee education programs.
The district also expected nearly $1 million for teacher development and retention, $800,000 for English language learning and immigrant support, and $950,000 for student support and academic enrichment, the statement said.
“These funds support adult learners pursuing new opportunities, educators committed to professional growth, and students working to overcome barriers and thrive in school,” Collier said in the statement. “Many of these dollars are already committed to staff salaries and essential services, making this sudden freeze especially disruptive.”
KCPS offers free adult education classes covering a variety of subjects, including English language efficiency, preparation for the high school equivalency test and college entrance preparation.
The district also offers orientations, instruction and bilingual support for refugee students.
These are just a few of “several programs and services that can be negatively impacted” by the funding cuts, KCPS public relations coordinator Shain Bergan told The Star in an email. However, “the exact fallout remains to be seen.”
School districts face uncertainty
The funds withheld from KCPS are part of a larger pot of nearly $7 billion in national education funding that President Donald Trump’s administration decided to freeze. Trump has been a vocal critic of the American school system, saying that federal control “has failed students, parents, and teachers” and opposing identity-based education it deems “wokeness.”
KCPS is not alone; other school districts in Kansas and Missouri are grappling with funding cuts. In Kansas, almost $43 million total in grant funding has been withheld.
The freeze comes just a few months after nearly 85% of Kansas City voters approved a $474 million bond for KCPS. It was the first bond proposed for the district since the 1960s.
However, the bond cannot be used to fund affected programs.
“As far as bond funding making up shortfall, we are legally obligated to use the bond money in an extremely narrowly-tailored way as it was presented to the public, approved by the KCPS Board, and voted on by the community,” Bergan said in an email to The Star. “That money must be used specifically for the projects outlined, although there is still room within that for tailoring the projects in certain ways to best suit the need for flexibility and public feedback.”
KCPS emphasized their commitment to “equity, access, and opportunity.”
“Kansas City Public Schools is actively exploring every possible option to protect the programs our families rely on,” Collier said in the statement. “But we cannot do this alone. We need our community to stand with us.”