Michigan’s state superintendent demands release of $160 million in federal funding

A student sitting at a desk inside of a classroom full of students raises their hand.
Michigan's state superintendent says the Trump administration's plans to withhold millions in funding that was supposed to be distributed July 1 will ultimately hurt the most vulnerable students in the state. (Sylvia Jarrus for Chalkbeat)

Sign up for Chalkbeat Detroit’s free newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system and Michigan education policy.

Michigan’s top education leader is urging the Trump administration to release nearly $7 billion in funding the federal government is withholding from schools nationwide.

In Michigan, that includes nearly $160 million.

The funding, approved by Congress earlier this year as part of a continuing budget resolution signed by President Donald Trump in March, was supposed to be distributed Tuesday. But the Trump administration said Monday it would not release the funds, Chalkbeat reported.

“These federal dollars support some of our most economically disadvantaged and vulnerable students,” Michigan State Superintendent Michael Rice said in a statement Wednesday. “The U.S. Department of Education should provide the approved funding immediately.”

The money funds programs that support migrant education ($5.4 million), services for English learners ($12.8 million), staff professional development ($63.7 million), before- and after-school programs ($36.7 million), and academic enrichment ($38.3 million), Rice said.

Rice said that based on past practice, “local school districts were rightly counting on this approved funding by July 1.”

He said the Michigan Department of Education, which he oversees, “is working with colleagues across the country and with legal counsel to reflect upon the adverse impact to students, staff, and schools of this withholding.”

It was unclear Wednesday afternoon if the department is considering legal action.

A spokesperson for the White House Office of Management and Budget, said Wednesday that the move to withhold the funding was part of an ongoing programmatic review of education funding, and that no decisions had been made yet.

Initial findings, the spokesperson said, “have shown that many of these grant programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical leftwing agenda.”

Chalkbeat senior national reporter Kalyn Belsha contributed to this report.

Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.

The Latest

While charter leaders have requested ownership of IPS buildings, supporters of traditional public schools have called for the district to charge for all services it provides to its charter partners.

Rocky Mountain Prep says it will conduct a nationwide search for its next CEO.

Board of Education President Sean Harden said borrowing money could be a short-term fix to avoid “draconian cuts” to schools.

A Shelby County Commission resolution that would significantly shake up Memphis-Shelby County School Board elections next year cleared its first hurdle on Wednesday.

In Philly, school officials are completing a major revision of the district’s civics curriculum, which is required for graduation.

MSCS’ school board will vote next week on a revised policy requiring students to keep devices off and away during school hours. But some are concerned about how to address student violations.