By Linda Hardman
Legislative Chair, DWGC
Academic programs across the country – and in Greenville – are in limbo as the Trump administration is still withholding about $7 billion in grant money for schools over its “concerns the money has been grossly misused to subsidize a radical left-wing agenda,” according to a spokesperson from the Office of Management and Budget. The administration is blaming the delay on a continuing study of education programs.
South Carolina was to receive about $84.3 million in grants by July 1, according to the Education Lab published by the Post and Courier. Although the state Department of Education believes that South Carolina school districts have been responsible funding managers, they sent memos to school districts, noting that the funding is delayed, not cancelled, but warning all districts to prepare for the worst.
The funding was appropriated by Congress, and the legality of holding it back was questioned in a lawsuit filed by 24 states. This congressionally-appropriated funding makes up about 13 percent of the total amount of the money distributed by the Education Department.
South Carolina schools could lose some or all of an anticipated $36.4 million in grants supporting effective instruction; $20.6 million for academic enrichment; $19.8 million for 21st century community learning centers; $6.4 million for English language acquisition and enhancement; and $1.1 million to assist with the education of migrant children.
Greenville County was slated for $6.2 million to hire 21 first grade teachers to help keep class size down; four instructional coaches; three mentors for new teachers; an international teachers’ coach; tuition and books for dual-credit high school students; and GED teachers. Greenville is approaching the problem as a government shutdown of these programs and adjusting the budget accordingly. In the school districts around Columbia, the money helps to fund after-school care at 10 elementary schools in impoverished areas. Charleston County schools are currently reviewing plans on how to proceed.
It is worrisome that smaller counties that already have a low tax base and a shortage of teachers may be the least able to cope with a loss of federal funding. It is feared that the cuts could have the most immediate impact on after-school and summer programs for students. The summer programs are particularly effective in enhancing student achievement and combatting “summer slide.” If those programs are lost, lower-achieving students would be greatly affected.
Update: The Drain Continues
On July 14, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Trump may continue his efforts to gut the Department of Education, turning its functions over to the states. The current secretary of education, Linda McMahon, had already cut some 1,400 people from the department. But a lower court had paused the process indefinitely, with Trump appealing. The Supreme Court decision overruled the lower court and has now opened the floodgates for the dissolution of the department. Trump said, “We will drain the government education swamp and stop the abuse of your taxpayer dollars to indoctrinate America’s youth with all sorts of things that you don’t want to have our youth hear.”
Speaking for the minority, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said that her colleagues had made an “indefensible decision to let Trump proceed with taking apart an agency that ordinally can be dismantled only by Congress. The threat to our Constitution’s separation of powers is grave,” she wrote.