Vermont Agency of Education Responds to Trump Administration Withholding Federal Funding

For Immediate Release

Contact: aoe.publicinformation@vermont.gov

Montpelier, Vt.- On the evening of June 30, the U.S. Department of Education alerted the Vermont Agency of Education that a series of federal funding allocations for fiscal year 2025 would not be made available to Vermont public schools on July 1. Statewide, these allocations amount to $26 million in congressionally approved funding that Vermont school districts have included in their budgets for the 2025-2026 school year.

“Federal education dollars support our most vulnerable students,” said Vermont Secretary of Education, Zoie Saunders. “Withholding these funds, even temporarily, disrupts districts’ ability to staff critical positions and provide a wide range of programming, including efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism and improve literacy outcomes. This decision also contributes to a culture of uncertainty that takes away from the important work our schools need to focus on to support our students.”

According to U.S. Department of Education, “decisions have not yet been made concerning submissions and awards for this upcoming academic year. Accordingly, the Department will not be issuing Grant Award notifications obligating funds for these programs on July 1 prior to completing that review.” The Department has not provided a timeline for when this review will be completed, nor have they provided assurances that these funds will be allocated. Without this information, it is unclear when or if these funds will be available.

The Agency is actively working with districts to mitigate the impact of this decision by conducting outreach and providing one-on-one intensive support to the field. The impacted funds include the following:

• Title I, Part C provides instructional and support services to migrant children and their families. These funds support the Vermont Migrant Education Program, which is run by the University of Vermont, and serves children who have relocated alone or with their families in order to obtain seasonal or temporary employment in agriculture.
• Title II, Part A supports effective instruction. Across the state, districts are using Title II funds to provide instructional coaches and mentoring programs, as well as professional development in critical subjects like the science of reading. These efforts are essential to improving academic outcomes as well as supporting the retention of effective educators at a time when teacher turnover continues to be a challenge in many districts.
• Title III, Part A provides instructional services and supports for English language learners. These funds have been used to provide multilingual liaisons to help families integrate into the school and community, summer school and after school programming to supplement EL services and prevent learning loss, and instructional services to help these students meet the same rigorous state academic standards that all students are expected to meet.
• Title IV, Part A promotes safe and healthy schools and is used by districts for programming that ranges from providing mental health services outside of school hours to professional development in trauma-informed practices. These efforts are critical to engaging families, reducing chronic absenteeism, and equipping teachers to better respond to student needs.
• Title IV, Part B (21^st century learning) provides integral summer and afterschool programming, enabling students across Vermont to receive engaging, structured support to ensure that they return to school in the fall ready to learn.
• Adult Education Basic Grants to States grant program provides grants to states to fund local programs of adult education and literacy services, including workplace literacy services, family literacy services, English literacy programs, and integrated English literacy-civics education programs.

The Agency is proud of the critical investments that Vermont public schools have made using these federal funds and will continue to support districts in navigating the uncertainty in the federal funding landscape. The Agency is also actively seeking clarity and will continue coordinating with our congressional delegation and national partners. More updates will be provided to the field and to the public as we learn additional information. Visit the Agency’s federal updates webpage for more information.

A PDF version of this press release is available here.