(Georgia Recorder) — The Georgia Board of Education met briefly Tuesday to distribute $48.2 million in previously frozen federal funds to centers that provide summer and after-school programs for kids.
Katie Landes, director of the Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network, celebrated the vote as a victory for students and parents.
“The release of the anticipated funds brings tremendous relief to schools and community-based programs statewide,” Landes said in a statement. “Maintaining consistent funding is essential for sustainable programming and reducing uncertainties, particularly just days before the school year starts for many.”
The funds for the programs, called 21st Century Community Learning Centers, came under question at the end of June, when the Trump administration announced it would freeze $6.8 billion in federal funds nationwide. The pauses – which were announced one day before the money was supposed to go out – also included dollars for migrant education, English as a second language, college and career counseling and others.
The Trump administration has signaled plans to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and return its duties to the states, though abolishing it entirely would require an act of Congress.
The freeze sparked bipartisan condemnation, including in the form of a letter signed by 10 Republican senators to Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought urging the funding be restored.
On July 18, the administration announced it would release the first part of the funds for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program, and the Department of Education unfroze the rest of the funds a week later.
Stan DeJarnett, who chairs the state board of education, indicated he expects the board to vote to approve the remainder of those unfrozen funds soon.
“Even though the remaining federal funds were announced last Friday that they would be released, we don’t have actual fund amounts for these different categories. So that’s the reason they are not on this morning’s agenda. So we may be back having this meeting again very soon once we get some more guidance on the amount of the appropriation in each of those federal fund categories.”
