Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on July 10, 2025

BOISE, ID – A midsummer federal education funding freeze has iced more than $33 million earmarked for Idaho — creating a climate of uncertainty.

The Boise School District is hoping to avoid staff cuts. A Democratic legislator — and Boise school teacher — is particularly worried about a program for students who are trying to learn English. State superintendent Debbie Critchfield has freed up $2.8 million to fill part of the gap.

But Critchfield, a Republican, is largely staying out of the fray. She declined an interview request, and in a statement, she said she is hoping the funding will ultimately find its way to the states. “We’re hopeful we will know the timeline for distribution sooner rather than later as decisions are being made now in local districts for the coming school year.”

Technically speaking, the White House hasn’t cut the funding, which Congress has already authorized. Instead, the U.S. Department of Education withheld the July 1 payments, while it reviews a host of federal grant programs.

In a terse June 30 email to Critchfield’s office, shared with Idaho EdNews, the federal Education Department said it “remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President’s priorities and the Department’s statutory responsibilities.”

This puts $33.3 million of Idaho’s federal funding on hold, Critchfield’s office says. Here’s how that breaks down:

“Supporting effective instruction:” $10.8 million. A federal grant program — known officially as Title II-A — provides states and local schools funding for professional development.

Migrant education: $7.1 million. The feds’ Title I-C program is designed to provide extra help for students who frequently move from school to school.

Student support and academic enrichment: $6.7 million. Known as Title IV-A, these grants can be used for anything from digital literacy and new course offerings to bullying prevention and suicide prevention.

Before- and after-school programs: $6.5 million. The Title IV-B grants finance “21st Century Community Learning Centers” that operate outside the normal school day.

English language programs: $2.1 million. The feds’ Title III grants “provide equal learning opportunities for multilingual learners,” according to an Idaho Department of Education web page on the program.

All told, a $33 million freeze could affect 16.5% of Idaho’s federal education funding, according to the Learning Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit. Only four states and the District of Columbia face deeper funding cuts.

Critchfield threw a lifeline to some local schools, as James Dawson of Boise State Public Radio first reported Wednesday. The state Education Department said it would free up $2.8 million, holdover money from previous budget years, to fund after-school programs through at least December.

“Our goal is to reduce uncertainty and help programs retain experienced staff who are essential to continued operations,” Sheena Strickler, the department’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers coordinator, said in a Wednesday email to grant recipients.

For some districts, the freeze still could have a profound impact on the bottom line. In Nampa, for example, $1.7 million is on the line. “(We’re) staying in close contact with the State Department of Education and remain hopeful for more clarity and a timely resolution,” district spokesman Matt Sizemore told Dawson.

In Boise, $1.5 million is in jeopardy.

“Without this funding, we would face difficult decisions that could affect student supports and services,” Superintendent Lisa Roberts said Wednesday, in an email to staff and parents. “We are committed to working thoughtfully to avoid staffing reductions and minimize any disruption to our students and schools.”

But schools have little time and few options, said Rep. Soñia Galaviz, a Boise Democrat who sits on the Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee. In Boise, Galaviz and her fellow teachers will be returning to work in early August. Unless schools dip into their budget reserves to make up for lost federal dollars — a risky move in and of itself — they might not have any other way to keep staff on the payroll.

“There’s no safety net,” she said Wednesday. “There’s no secret bank account.”

Galaviz teaches at Boise’s Whittier Elementary School, where nearly 24% of students have limited English proficiency. She is particularly concerned about a potential cut in English language programs — especially after President Donald Trump has issued an executive order declaring English the nation’s official language, and after the 2025 Legislature approved a constitutional amendment, subject to voter approval, to make English the state’s official language. Cutting off support for students trying to learn English would be “an enormous loss,” Galaviz said.

Rep. Wendy Horman, JFAC’s House co-chair, said she wanted more details about how schools spend the federal dollars. Until then, she’s reluctant to say whether any of these programs are critical to K-12.

“I can see big buckets of money,” said Horman, an Idaho Falls Republican. “But what I can’t see and don’t know is how those monies are used at the local level.”

Horman also noted that federal funding is a moving target. She pointed to a $59 million University of Idaho ag research grant. In April, the feds yanked the grant, the largest in U of I history. But the U of I was allowed to reapply for the money, and did so last month.

“I think we have more questions than answers at this time,” Horman said.

Critchfield has directed many of her questions at Idaho’s congressional delegation — asking if they have any information about when the feds might free up money.

Meanwhile, she says, local schools might be forced to pick up the slack.

“We’ve encouraged local districts and charters to review any carryover funding that may help support the programs in question,” she said in a statement.

More reading: National perspective on the federal funding freeze from Education Week and States Newsroom.