Education officials across Washington state are preparing to lay off staff – unless millions of dollars in federal funding is released by the Trump Administration.
The U.S. Department of Education unexpectedly paused billions in grant funding bound for schools across the country earlier this summer. Washington state was expected to receive about $137 million and without these funds, school districts and the state's education agency may have to institute cuts.
The federal funds are budgeted to help with a wide array of programs including services for students learning English or whose parents are migrant workers. According to Tennille Jeffries-Simmons, chief of staff at the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, potential funding cuts will affect dozens of highly skilled workers at the OSPI.
“They’re experts in English learners gaining mastery over the English language,” she said. “Many of these folks used to work at school districts and so they have direct experience of working with populations where trust is key.”
Jefferies-Simmons is holding out hope that the Trump administration will release the education funding. However, if these grants aren’t distributed by the fall – that could still result in OSPI losing valuable staff.
“I’m worried [about] the loss of expertise,” she said. “When people lose their jobs and they are highly qualified, and there are deep experts here, they find employment elsewhere.”
Last week, the federal government released some education funding that was previously frozen that goes towards after-school and summer programs. But, according to an OSPI spokesperson, this funding will not substantially reduce the number of agency staff that could be affected by cuts. Over $100 million is still being withheld from the state and layoffs at OSPI could begin as soon as next month.
Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown has joined other states in suing the Trump administration to release the withheld federal funding. According to court documents, state education officials originally expected the federal grants to be available for schools by the beginning of July. However, the Education Department notified state officials on June 30 that this funding was being reviewed and would be withheld.
“It’s inexcusable that the federal government would choose to wreak havoc on local school systems like this as they prepare for the upcoming school year,” Brown said in a press release about the lawsuit. “We’re fighting for every dollar our students are owed.”
School districts across Washington are currently scrambling to figure out how to balance their budgets ahead of the 2025-2026 school year without the federal funds. The Yakima School District is facing a shortfall of over $3.7 million, according to state data.
“When we have a freeze like this on anticipated funds, it throws us into a bit of a tailspin,” said Yakima School District Superintendent Trevor Greene.
Greene estimates the district may have to lay off 10 to 20 staff members if the federal funds aren’t released soon. It also has large populations of students who benefit from the federal grants, around a third of its students are English language learners, and the district also serves many children whose family are migrant workers.
“We have students that are not going to receive services. We have people that are not going to have a job, and we have elimination of programs that have been effective,” Greene said.
The situation for the Yakima School District grows more difficult the longer these funds are held back by the Trump administration. However, Greene is confident his district can deal with the delay in federal grants, but he said it will be devastating if this funding is permanently cut.
