Arizona members of Congress demand release of $118M in federal education funding

PHOENIX — Two Arizona members of Congress are urging the federal government to release $118 million in education funding to the state.

Rep. Greg Stanton wrote a joint letter with Sen. Mark Kelly last week asking for the funds to be disbursed. The money was supposed to be distributed on July 1.

The letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought details $4.2 million dollars in lost funding for Mesa Public Schools, $1.3 million in lost funding for the Boys & Girls Club and the state’s overall federal education funding falling by 11%.

The administration is withholding more than $6 billion in federal grants for after-school and summer programs, English language instruction, adult literacy and more as part of a review to ensure grants align with President Donald Trump’s priorities.

As a result, Arizona can’t access the money until both the Department of Education and the Office of Management and Budget finalize the funding amounts for each state.

Withheld education funding could impact staffing, after-school programming

Stanton said funding withheld from Arizona would go toward after-school programs, student support staff and staff onboarding.

“In Arizona, the school year starts in the first week of August. These schools and these districts have planned for these resources and now, right at the very last minute, they’re cutting $118 million dollars to public education in the state of Arizona,” he said.

Stanton added that withholding the funding is illegal because it was approved by Congress.

He said this could further impact the state’s teacher shortage, with districts hiring teachers with the expectation of this funding. After-school programs like the Boys and Girls Club could also be affected.

“Boys and Girls Club has earned their reputation as the very best in after-school programming, and it would be a tragedy if they have to shut down early during the summer months and maybe even close down some clubs,” Stanton said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.

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