US Education Dept to release remaining withheld grant money for schools

The Trump administration is releasing billions of dollars in grants to schools for adult literacy, English language instruction and other programmes, the Education Department said Friday.

President Donald Trump's administration had withheld more than $6 billion in funding on July 1, as part of a review to ensure spending aligned with the White House's priorities.

The funding freeze had been challenged by several lawsuits as educators, Congress members from both parties and others called for the administration to release money schools rely on for a wide range of programmes. Congress had appropriated the money in a bill signed this year by Trump.

Last week, the Education Department said it would release $1.3 billion of the money for after-school and summer programming. Without the money, school districts and non-profits such as the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club of America had said they would have to close or scale back educational offerings this fall.

The release of that money came days after 10 Republican senators sent a letter imploring the administration to allow frozen education money to be sent to states. Those senators had also called for the rest of the money to be distributed, including funds for adult education and teaching English as a second language.

The Education Department said Friday the Office of Management and Budget had completed its review of the programmes and will begin sending the money to states next week.

US Sen Shelley Moore Capito, R-W Va, was among the Congress members calling for the release of the grants.

The programmes are ones that enjoy longstanding, bipartisan support, she said. She pointed to after-school and summer programs that allow parents to work while their children learn and classes that help adults gain new skills contributing to local economies.

In withholding the funds, the Office of Management and Budget had said some of the programmes supported a radical leftwing agenda.

We share your concern, the GOP senators had written. However, we do not believe that is happening with these funds.

School superintendents had warned they would have to eliminate academic services without the money. On Friday, AASA, an association of superintendents, thanked members of Congress for pressing to release the money.