SDUSD faces uncertainty after Trump admin withholds $13 million in federal funding

Eugene Brucker Education Center is headquarters of the San Diego Unified School District. Photo via @KPBSNews Nearly $13 million in federal funding for the San Diego Unified School District is in jeopardy following an unprecedented decision by the Department of Education to freeze more than $6 billion in education grants nationwide.  The funding currently withheld from SDUSD includes $3.8 million in programs for professional development, $2.6 million in services for English language learners, and $3.1 million in academic enrichment, as well as $3.3 million in before and after-school programs.  The state of California joined a lawsuit with 23 other states and the District of Columbia on Monday over the federal government’s move. For the fiscal year of 2024-2025, federal funding made up approximately 6% of SDUSD’s budget. According to a 2024-25 budget document, the district’s total projected revenue was $1.6 billion.  SDUSD Board Vice President Richard Barrera said that he doesn’t expect the funding cut to take effect, noting that the Trump administration has yet to request Congress to rescind the programs that the funding allocations are designated for.  “These are programs that affect all 50 states,” Barrera said. “They’re programs that Congress already appropriated. So I would certainly expect that Congress would deny such a request.”  In the meantime, as the second largest school district in California, SDUSD has some flexibility to redistribute funding from their general operating fund, Barrera noted.  Beyond the specific cuts to educational programs, funding cuts to MediCal and SNAP will also impact students and families in the district.  “It’s important that we don’t bury our head in the sand, and that means we have to develop increased protections and strategies to support our students and families… and make use of the community-based resources that exist in San Diego,” Barrera said. “None of that is going to ever be a replacement for the loss of things like SNAP from the federal government, but we’ve got to do everything that we can.”