Minnesota Joins Lawsuit Over Frozen Federal Education Funds

SAUK RAPIDS (WJON News) -- Minnesota is one of more than 20 states suing the Trump administration for freezing funding for education investments.

Attorney General Keith Ellison says over $70 million in funding for Minnesota is believed to be frozen.

Sauk Rapids-Rice Superintendent Brad Bergstrom says his district gets federal funding for Title I programs that support students who are below grade level in reading or math.

He says, for now, they've already received a good chunk of that money. However, they'll be watching closely what happens later this year.

We generally don't reach out and seek those dollars until November or December.  So we've got a little bit of time with that.  But, we are talking, if those dollars are no longer going to be available to us, it's a several-hundred-thousand-dollar loss in revenue for us.

Bergstrom says school finances are very complicated. They get some money that flows directly to schools from the federal government, and some dollars flow through the state Department of Education, which comes from the federal government.

Bergstrom says that in 1973, the federal government made a promise to fully fund special education programs, but he says neither the federal government nor the state government is fully funding it.

Sauk Rapids-Rice spends about $2 million a year out of its own general fund to support special education programs.

Ellison says essential summer school and after-school programs, which provide childcare to working parents of school-age children, are already being impacted.

In the past, Minnesota has used the funding for several things, including programs that promote effective classroom instruction, community learning centers, and adult education and workforce development efforts.

Get our free mobile app

The A-Gs argue the freeze violates the federal funding statutes and regulations authorizing these critical programs and appropriating funds for them.

READ RELATED ARTICLES

• Get Involved In The United Way's School Supply Drive
• St. Cloud Start Up Changes School Supply Shopping for Families
• A Downtown Staple Saying Goodbye After Nearly 40 Years
• A Lucky Ticket In Central Minnesota Nets Over $329,000
• No Music At Firefest As Organizers Call Off Event