Lawrence Public Schools stand to lose about $468,151 in federal grants because of action by the Trump administration earlier this month freezing distribution of already-approved federal support, according to Superintendent Jeanice Swift.
The Trump administration earlier this month notified states it was freezing more than $6 billion in federal education grants. The announcement came one day before those funds are usually disbursed. The funds were already approved last year by Congress and the president and had been factored into school budgets for the upcoming school year.
In Lawrence, $309,310 in grants that typically support recruitment, training and retention of staff were frozen. More than $63,000 in federal grants to support English language learners and $95,000 to support programs and activities aimed at enhancing student success and well-being were also frozen.
“The reality is our children do not have time to wait,” Swift said. “Their growth and their opportunities and their development is not on pause. We are continuing to work to meet their needs, and their needs are significant. Our students are counting on us for the opportunities that are necessary for their future.”
Update:
Federal education grants unfrozen; $468K will flow to Lawrence Public Schools, July 26, 2025
Title VI funding for the district’s Native American Student Services was awarded, according to the superintendent.
In her last meeting as board president after two years in the role, Kelly Jones read a statement condemning federal action that has cut into education funding and dismantled core federal support.
“They pulled the funding at the last minute, and districts everywhere are left scrambling,” Jones said. “This move undermines essential services for students, especially students from working class families.”
Earlier Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Trump administration decision to effectively dismantle the Department of Education.
Jones said the Department of Education is not an overreach by the federal government, but rather provides services that help local leaders make the best decisions for students.
“Our students and educators deserve better than this kind of instability, and I think it’s important that the community hears from this particular board that it matters to us, that we take different action,” Jones said. “Dismantling the U.S. Department of Education is a serious mistake. This isn’t about politics. It’s about what we owe to students.”
She argued for the importance of the department, including its role in providing education services and funding for districts across the country. She said the department enforces federal education laws related to civil rights and distributes federal financial aid. It collects education data which allows innovation and helps districts follow evidence-based practices.
Board member Shannon Kimball shared in an update to the board that the federal funding freeze will hit Kansas schools especially hard because the Kansas Legislature already zeroed out the state’s teacher professional development budget for the year.
The majority of federal grants frozen to Lawrence are for Title II funding, which supports teacher and staff professional development.
Altogether, Kansas districts are losing about $17 million in support, Kimball said.
She noted that a group of mostly Democratic governors and state attorneys general filed a lawsuit Monday in federal court to challenge the freeze.
Federal-Funding-Freeze-July-2025-Infographic-v2Post updated at 7:29 p.m. Monday, July 14
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Cuyler Dunn (he/him), a contributor to The Lawrence Times since April 2022, is a student at the University of Kansas School of Journalism. He is a graduate of Lawrence High School where he was the editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper, The Budget, and was named the 2022 Kansas High School Journalist of the Year. Read his complete bio here. Read more of his work for the Times here.
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