Colorado’s K-12 districts could lose as much as $70 million in funding for the 2025-26 academic year after the Trump administration withheld $6.8 billion in education money that school systems nationwide expected to receive Tuesday.
The money — which is allocated for students learning English, teacher training, afterschool and summer programs, and more — was appropriated by Congress for the 2025-26 academic year. But the Trump administration notified state education officials across the nation Monday that money for certain programs wouldn’t be sent as expected.
The U.S. Department of Education told Colorado education officials that a final decision has not yet been made on whether the federal government will release the money. The funding is being withheld as part of a review to ensure grants align with President Donald Trump’s priorities, according to the department’s notice.
“I am deeply concerned about the potential impact of the delay and ongoing uncertainty surrounding these critical funds on our students, educators and schools,” Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Córdova said in a letter to district superintendents on Monday.
She said the Colorado Department of Education is working with Gov. Jared Polis’s office and the state’s congressional delegation “to try to get information or an update on the status of these allocations.”
Colorado received about $70 million during the 2024-25 academic year via the programs affected by Trump’s freeze, including more than $25 million for grants to support educators’ professional development, staff recruitment and retention, and reducing class sizes.
Other programs affected by the freeze include those that help students who are learning English and children from migrant families. Colorado schools have welcomed thousands of immigrant students in recent years, enough to soften declining enrollment last year.
The money being withheld was required, by law, to go to states Tuesday.
Most K-12 districts in Colorado have already finalized their budgets for the upcoming school year and some have started cutting staffing and employee raises because of financial pressures at both the state and federal levels.
But district officials have said for months that if the federal government slashes K-12 funding, more drastic cuts — including layoffs — are on the way for Colorado’s schools.
For Denver Public Schools, the withheld funds would mean between a $10 million and $15 million shortfall. If the money never arrives, then the state’s largest district will need to cut both staff and programs for students, spokesman Scott Pribble said.
“Somewhere we will have to trim the budget,” he said. “…There’s no indication, yet, whether or not this will be permanent.”
Other metro Denver districts would also lose millions of dollars if the programs aren’t funded. Cherry Creek School District would lose about $2.4 million and the Boulder Valley School District would be out just under $1 million.
Total federal grant funding makes up 1% — or about $15 million — of the Douglas County School District’s general budget.
“We have enough in prior year carryover (federal) funds that we will not have to make cuts this year,” spokeswoman Paula Hans said in a statement. “While this could eventually impact services we provide to some of our most vulnerable students, as of right now, we are holding strong with still providing the same level of service and not laying off any staff members who are funded with these grants.”
Some advocates fear the grants are being targeted for elimination, which could force schools to cut programs and teachers. Trump’s 2026 budget proposal called for Congress to zero out all of the programs under review, signaling the administration sees them as unnecessary.
A national organization for afterschool programs called the department’s action a “stunning betrayal.”
“Withholding these funds will cause lasting harm to students and families, and to our education system, our future workforce, and our economy,” said Jodi Grant, executive director of the Afterschool Alliance.
The administration had signaled its desire to cut much of the money in an April letter to Sen. Susan Collins, chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
In that letter, Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said cutting money for teaching kids to speak English would help “end overreach from Washington and restore the rightful role of State oversight in education.”
“They’re trying to send a message,” said Amaya Garcia, who oversees education research at New America, a left-leaning think tank. “They don’t believe that taxpayer funding should be used for these children.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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