The U.S. Department of Education said Friday afternoon it will release the billions of dollars remaining in grant funding it withheld for review.

On June 30, the department notified school districts in a statement that the $6.8 billion in grant funding would not be dispersed due to the department “reviewing the FY 2025 funding for the [Title I-C, II-A, III-A, IV-A, IV-B] grant program(s).”

According to school leaders, the grant funds cover a plethora of programs, such as after-school programming, professional development for teachers, mental health and more.

Last week, the department said it would release $1.3 billion in after-school and summer programing.

School boards across the state of Florida were notified of the remaining funding to be released by an email sent from the Florida School Boards Association obtained by News Channel 8:

“Board Members:

“We will continue with the work that we had planned, continuing to elevate excellence in these various areas that these funds affect,” said Laura Hine, Pinellas County School Board Chair.

$9 million in grant funding was withheld from the Pinellas County School District, impacting mental health, professional development, programming for middle school students and more.

“Our schools went from 80% A’s and B’s to 90% A’s and B’s and we know that professional development of our teachers is one of the reasons,” Hine said. “We tend to lose kids in middle school. Adolescence is a powerful time. But with our investment in that work, we now have 90% of our middle schools are our A or B school.”

Hine said she is grateful to the school community, along with other agencies such as the Juvenile Welfare Board and the Education Foundation, for reaching out and providing assistance in potential gaps that would have been left empty without the grant funding.

On Thursday night, Pinellas County school leaders held a town hall to address the freeze of funding with the community.

“We had more than 300 people attend in person. We know more than 3,600 people viewed online. The interest in our schools is strong,” Hine said. “To see the community from all corners turn out in support of their schools, including the elected officials in this in this area, and bipartisan support of funding our schools has really been extraordinary and good.”

Pinellas County school board leaders also said last week they would be writing letters to the U.S. Department of Education and state department of education, as well as congressional representatives and local delegations.

“I have heard from all three, Senator Hooper, Senator Rouson, and Senator DiCeglie — again, bipartisan support throughout Pinellas County, as well as both Representative Luna and Representative Castor, [who] all wrote letters and spoke out in support of releasing these funds and we very much appreciate their support,” Hine said.

Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Fred Heid also responded to the news of the release of funding with a statement after announcing last week more than $20 million in the grant funding for the district was at risk.

“We are very pleased to hear that this federal funding is being released. This funding provides necessary support for students throughout our district. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to continue our life-changing work made possible by this federal funding.”

Fred Heid, Superintendent, Polk County Public Schools

Some school districts are awaiting official notice for the release of funding as Hillsborough County Public Schools relayed to News Channel 8 in a statement:

We will wait for the official confirmation on the status of the federal education grant funds.

Debra Bellanti, Media and Public Relations Director, Hillsborough County Public Schools 

Bellanti shared funding amounts the school district is expected to receive for the respective title grants, which in total amount to more than $24 million.

Pasco County Council PTA of Florida PTA (Parent Teachers’ Association) President Erin Kelley said Pasco County Schools is expecting $6.3 million and added that she too is awaiting the official notification.

“Will the government release the whole amount that we’re expecting? We don’t know. Are there going to be any additional requirements that they put on our school boards or our states in order to release the funds? We can’t be sure until the funds are actually here,” Kelley said.

Parents who spoke with News Channel 8 Friday night voiced their concerns about transparency and called the actions from the federal department an overreach.

“What was concerning me is, you know, I’ve got a daughter who enters the public school system in two weeks, and she’s just beginning her public education,” said Whitney Fox, a Pinellas County mother of two. “I’m worried, what if this happens again? What if the funds aren’t unfrozen? I think that this isn’t the first that we’re going to see an attack on the public education system.”

View the segment and read the article as originally published at https://www.wfla.com/news/hillsborough-county/u-s-department-of-education-says-it-will-release-remaining-withheld-school-grant-funds/

School districts across the country felt some relief Friday afternoon when the U.S. Department of Education deemed its review of frozen federal funds was complete. The department announced it would begin releasing money to local districts next week after facing a lawsuit and bipartisan pressure.

Pinellas County school board chair Laura Hine credited the power of community input for the reversal.

“The unanimous interest from across our community in the funding of their schools — including our elected officials — was powerful and yielded results,” she said.

The night before, Pinellas County school leaders urged community members to rally for the release of those funds.

They presented what was at stake with an initial $9 million in funding being withheld from them by the U.S. Department of Education.

District Superintendent Kevin Hendrick said a little under $1 million had been recently released before Thursday for after-school and summer enrichment, and the state also released around $2 million in unspent rollover funds from the previous year. The district had around $1 million budgeted for unexpected expenses in the categories the funds are tied to. The Juvenile Welfare Board also stepped in to provide $600,000 toward mental health care services.

The fate of the remaining $5 million caused uncertainty for the coming school year.

Though the district said no employee would lose their job, 13 English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) positions could have been eliminated and those employees would be reassigned. Four human resource positions were slated to be reassigned. Funding for professional development, new teacher mentoring and adult literacy and workforce education also faced cuts.

“The board unanimously believes that program reviews for compliance is completely reasonable,” Hendrick said Thursday. “What we argue is that the timing of this review is not reasonable. To do so the day before a fiscal year begins, when we’ve hired 47 people off of these grants into positions, is not a reasonable expectation.”

Community members had a chance to ask school officials questions about what comes next. Some asked if they could expect to not receive the funds at all.

“Could they be repurposed?” Hendrick said. “They could. Could they be never given out? They could. Might they be given out tonight? Maybe. But we don’t know.”

The abrupt halt in funding would have impacted teachers who rely on federal grants for professional development, classroom support and other benefits.

Former Pinellas County teacher Kristi Carroll is among the many educators who did not have an education degree when they began their teaching career. Professional development programs like the Transition to Teaching program she participated in are at risk of going away.

“(The program) was really, really helpful in becoming a teacher, because I was a history major, which helped me a lot when I was teaching history, but I needed to learn how to teach,” she said. “I was able to give my students what they needed, but I needed to learn the skill of being a teacher, because it is a skill.”

Sharon Johnson-Levy, school counselor for Bear Creek Elementary School in St. Petersburg, has been involved in the school system since 2010. Johnson-Levy said she believed it would be just the first of many cutbacks to the education system.

“Teachers have really taken a blow over the last few years,” she said. “There’s been a lot of support that has been lost way before this. And so there comes a breaking point where some one hero can keep things going, but how far does it go before things start to kind of not work?”

At the meeting representatives for both U.S. Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Kathy Castor expressed support and urged attendees to write letters to their lawmakers.

Danielle Shipp, who attended the town hall and has children in both charter and public schools in Pinellas, said she hopes more parents get involved.

“I just want to make sure our children’s education stays consistent, no matter the administration, whether it’s Democrat, Republican, independent,” she said.

Whitney Fox, whose first child is entering school in fall, said she thought the funding freeze was just the beginning and believed the federal government would bring more of Project 2025, a Republican policy blueprint from the Heritage Foundation, into fruition.

“This is just the beginning,” she said. “There is a plan that has been laid out very clearly. This should not be a surprise to anyone that this is happening. There are more cuts coming to public education. We should be incredibly alarmed. What will we do when the cuts continue to come?”

Hine, the Pinellas school board chair, encouraged the community to stay involved, even after the funds are released.

“Florida’s legislative session is around the corner,” she said. “Let the folks who make the funding decisions for our schools know that this matters to you — that these are your tax dollars, you believe in your schools and you want them funded.”

To read this article as it was originally published, visit https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2025/07/25/pinellas-school-leaders-rally-community-over-federal-funding-cuts/

Pinellas County Schools (PCS) officials held a community forum discussing the federal education funding freeze Thursday at the organization’s administrative building in Largo. 

On June 30, the U.S. Department of Education froze a total of $6.8 billion previously allocated education grant funds, including approximately $400 million statewide at the direction of the Trump Administration. PCS was to receive $9 million of the funds. 

The unexpected freeze came just a day before the start of the district’s fiscal year and a little more than a month before classes begin. 

The funds were “frozen for review with no timeline on when or if those funds would be released,” Kevin Hendrick, Superintendent, Pinellas County Schools said in the presentation. 

When Hendrick and the Pinellas County School Board reviewed the budget for fiscal year 2026 in June, they suspected federal funds would decrease “because of changing priorities in Washington D.C.” 

However, they “anticipated” receiving the federal grant funds that were ultimately frozen. Hendrick was clear that Pinellas County Schools officials are advocating for the release of the funds. 

“Program reviews for compliance are reasonable, the timing of this review is not reasonable,” Hendrick explained.  

The funds affected are Title II, Title III, Title IV and Adult Education and Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education-based grants. 

Title II, Part A funding supports programs that relate to professional development and instructional coaching. Funding under the Title III, Part A classification helps schools offer English language instruction for immigrant students and multilingual learners. 

Title IV, Part A funding is focused on providing children with a more well-rounded education through enrichment programs, mental health resources and technology. 

There is a Part B related to Title IV funding, which includes support for after-school and summer enrichment programs for qualifying students. Part B funds were released Monday. 

Adult Education and Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education funds back literacy and workforce readiness programs for adult learners. 

Decisions about the short-term future of programs and staff have had to be made quickly. “We don’t have a month, or two months or six months to figure this out. We have to act on this now,” Hendrick said. 

No PCS employee will lose their job and their salary will stay the same for the upcoming school year. However, some staff members will have to switch positions. 

“We have to find other places for those individuals and we have to find other ways to either eliminate or accommodate the programs that they were running or the support that they provided to our children in our county,” he added. 

For instance, 13 English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers in the district will have to become vacant classroom instructors. 

Positions and salaries will be impacted in the 2026-2027 school year. Programs will be cut as well, including various professional development opportunities for teachers. Some enrichment activities, including a hands-on mobile STEM lab for middle school students, will be eliminated. 

PCS does have rollover grant funds from last year, roughly $2 million, that can be used to help with budget adjustments for fiscal year 2026. The organization also has about $1 million saved in reserved funds for unexpected expenses relating to education enrichment. 

Additionally, PCS has partnered with the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County to provide extra mental health services for students, which would have been covered by Title IV, Part A funding. The Board has made a contribution of $600,000 to fund the program. 

As for the long-term impact of the freeze, it is yet to be determined, Hendrick explained. The current budget cuts are in a draft stage and the funds could be released.  

The PCS team was able to get U.S. representatives Anna Paulina Luna of District 13 and Kathy Castor of District 14 to write letters to the federal government encouraging a release. 

 Eileen M. Long, Pinellas County School Board member, spoke honestly about the implications. 

“We are really feeling this impact. This is my 44th year here at Pinellas County Schools. I taught for 34 years,” she said. 

“This is heartbreaking. This is the only career I’ve ever known and I love our children. My two children are products of PCS and we all benefit from their education.” 

Read the article as originally published at https://stpetecatalyst.com/school-funding-freeze-explained-discussed-in-forum/

Nearly $6.8 billion dollars in federal education grants was frozen by the Trump administration. And $400 million is being withheld from Florida schools.

What You Need To Know

– $9 million in federal grants has been withheld from Pinellas County Schools 
– The school district hosted a community forum on July 24, 2025 to hear from concerned families
– The district said some programs are at risk
– This school year no jobs or salaries are impacted, but that is expected to change for the 2026-2027 school year

On July 24, 2025, the Pinellas County School District answered questions from the community about how it’s dealing with millions of dollars in funding being withheld.

There was a large turnout at the forum, with 200 people in the room and an additional 1000 in the overflow room. Plus, 850 people tuned in online to hear about how the district is dealing with the freeze of millions of dollars.

There was not a seat left in the as Pinellas County School families looked for answers about the funding freeze.

“I’m a mom that fights. So if I can go and protest by card, or if I can protest without a card just by voice, then I’m going to fight either way I have to,” said Brittnie Blunt, parent.

Blunt and her two middle schoolers wore signs to get the attention of the school board.

“So we’re here in protest to try to keep things going, to make sure that all the programs that they are in, will hopefully stay in,” Blunt said.

The school board said programs that enhance the middle school experience, increase professional learning for teacher retention, and provide enrichment in the arts, and more are at risk of changes or cuts.

The district said no one will lose their job, but about 40 people are employed through these grants, so their responsibilities will change for this school year. The district said salaries and positions will be impacted in 2026-2027.

“The reason we’re having this tonight is to advocate for the release of these funds, and to do so immediately so that school districts can move forward with their plans,” said Kevin Hendrick, Superintendent.

The U.S. Department of Education said it’s withholding the funds to make sure they align with President Donald Trump’s priorities. The superintendent said that’s reasonable, but the timing isn’t.

“The day before a fiscal year begins, when we’ve hired 47 people off of these grants into positions, is not a reasonable expectation,” Hendrick said.

Mental health services are also facing challenges. The juvenile welfare board, a taxpayer-funded organization aimed at helping children, is reallocating money so it can fund six therapists for the school district.

“Our mission has always been to, to create value and to ensure that the children of Pinellas County, that their education, their overall well-being is cared for,” said Michael Mikurak, Interim CEO, Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County

As for the rest of the programs at risk, there is no timeline on when or if the money will be released.

“We may not want it, but a lot of children need it,” Blunt said.

Nearly $1 million dollars in funding for after school programs has been released.

Read the article as originally published at https://baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2025/07/25/pinellas-county-schools-federal-funding

Gabriella Moran, a trained behavior analyst and classroom consultant for Directions for Living’s First Five program, is the latest KidsFirst Award Winner from the Juvenile Welfare Board.

Moran works one-on-one and in small groups with children who have experienced trauma. She helps little ones build emotional regulation, self-advocacy, and the confidence to stay in their classrooms and succeed.

She also works with families to reduce specific issues such as bedtime tantrums, successful family outings and supporting their child’s social-emotional growth.

Read the article as originally published at https://www.tbnweekly.com/pinellas_county/article_4942237d-e84d-4aa4-b05b-83136d52c64c.html

Leaders of two Tampa Bay area school districts have a big wish as they head toward budget public hearings next week.

They’d like the Trump administration to decide the fate of billions of dollars in federal grants that have been frozen since the beginning of July. The grants help pay for migrant education, teacher retention programs, English language instruction and academic enrichment.

“The piece that we’re all asking for is closure,” Pinellas County superintendent Kevin Hendrick said during a workshop Tuesday.

Pinellas County’s share of the grants is just under $9 million. Pasco County’s portion is just over $6 million.

Officials had anticipated the money would be largely gone by fall 2026, but not now. They contend not knowing whether it’s coming — the Trump administration is getting pressure from all sides to release the money — is making it hard to prepare for the new school year.

Students return to classes in less than three weeks. Yet districts don’t know whether they will have the ability to pay for dozens of employees who provide vital services such as support for English language learners and teacher training, some of which are required by federal law.

“There is some new information always developing,” Pasco County superintendent John Legg said Tuesday during his district’s workshop.

Both districts were about to cut positions in their after-school programs funded by one of the federal grants, for instance, until the Office of Management and Budget announced late Friday it would release that money.

Grant money for adult education programs also has begun arriving in district accounts, though at a reduced level from the initial allocation.

Knowing such details could change at any moment has led the districts to hold off announcing any major actions. They don’t want to create any more anxiety by threatening peoples’ jobs until they can’t avoid it.

“We’re trying to wait as long as we can,” Hendrick said. “These funds might be released tonight. They might not be released at all. … If we get all the funds tomorrow, obviously it’s a different conversation.”

Officials have started to review which positions and programs they must have, and which can be reduced or eliminated. And no decision is simple, because each move can impact employees and services in other areas.

“A lot of the positions are critical and only partially funded by the grants,” said Tammy Taylor, Pasco’s chief financial officer. “It’s not just something we can unilaterally cut.”

In Pasco, the federal money pays for 39 allocations, affecting 56 positions. In Pinellas, 47 jobs are covered with the funds.

If a position gets cut, the work doesn’t necessarily go away. It might be shifted to another department, budget and person, spreading the impact further.

To limit the potential fallout, Pinellas has decided to keep the grant money out of its budget plan until it arrives.

Hendrick and his team have mentioned a handful of moves on tap, such as the Juvenile Welfare Board’s offer to pay for six mental health therapists that had been funded by federal grants, but didn’t want to commit to many specifics until absolutely necessary.

School board members said they wanted more details about possible service reductions to make the effects clear to parents and residents ahead of a Thursday town hall meeting. Board member Katie Blaxberg stressed the need to have a story to tell as the district asks supporters to pressure federal government officials to release the money.

“It’s important for the public at large to see how these cuts are affecting their schools,” Blaxberg said.

The Pasco district is leaning in the other direction.

“We’re including everything in the budget,” Taylor said of the federal money. “If it needs to be amended when we get the award letters, we’ll amend it.”

Board member Al Hernandez said he supported that approach, reiterating concerns across the state that the uncertainty is the most problematic part.

“Who knows what we expect to get?” Hernandez mused.

The districts are scheduled to hold their first budget public hearings, at which they set their maximum tax rates, on July 29. Their final budget votes are set for September.

Read the article as originally published at https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2025/07/23/pinellas-pasco-school-leaders-still-dark-federal-funding-freeze/

It may seem early, but the back-to-school buzz is in the air since Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas public schools all open their doors Aug. 11.

Florida’s back-to-school tax holiday runs Aug. 1-31 this year with sales tax withheld on learning aids and jigsaw puzzles ($30 or less), most school supplies ($50 or less), clothing, footwear and accessories ($100 or less), and computers and related accessories ($1,500 or less, for non-commercial use).

Here are some supply drives and back-to-school events coming up in the Tampa Bay area.

Free books: The Juvenile Welfare Board’s Summer Book Bus program is rolling through the area offering two free books to any kid who comes on board. From Tarpon Springs to south St. Petersburg, the JWB Book Bus will give away more than 10,000 brand-new books to 5,000 children in just 12 days. See jwbpinellas.org for the bus schedule.

Read the article as originally published at https://www.tampabay.com/life-culture/2025/07/22/back-to-school-supply-drive-pinellas-hillsborough/

The Juvenile Welfare Board’s Summer Book Bus program invites parents and kids to hop aboard at any one of the more than 50 remaining stops to choose two free books.

A partnership with Pinellas County Schools, the JWB Summer Book Bus delivers free books to children in underserved neighborhoods across Pinellas County to combat summer learning loss. With stops at community sites from Tarpon Springs to South St. Petersburg, the JWB Book Bus will give away more than 10,000 brand-new books to 5,000 children in just 12 days.

Book Bus stops include public libraries, community recreation centers, neighborhood family centers, childcare centers, and more. For a list of sites, visit jwbpinellas.org.

Read the article as originally published at https://www.tbnweekly.com/pinellas_county/article_7ad05355-050b-43ab-b7fe-4b3298ac2534.html

Pinellas County school district officials must scramble to overcome the loss of $10.7 million in anticipated funding, with less than a month before nearly 100,000 students return to classrooms. 

The U.S. Department of Education announced June 30, a day before the start of the district’s fiscal year, that it was withholding over $6 billion in previously allocated public school funding. Roughly $9 million was earmarked for Pinellas County Schools (PCS), which unveiled its already tight budget June 24. 

Superintendent Kevin Hendrick told school board members Tuesday that the state subsequently withdrew $1.4 million in anticipated funding after accounting for students enrolled in public schools who mistakenly received vouchers. 

The district then lost $300,000 in state-distributed, federal Title I funding that supports programs and resources for students from low-income households. School Board Chair Laura Hine stressed the need for local, state and national advocates Wednesday. 

“Our schools impact everybody,” Hine told the Catalyst. “Whether you have kids in school now or you never have, they impact every part of our economy, every part of our community. So, the funding of our schools to achieve academic excellence is hugely important.” 

PCS has done its part, earning an overall “A” grade for the second consecutive year. The percentage of schools earning an “A” or “B” grade from the state jumped from 80% to 90% between 2024 and 2025. Hine said those and other metrics highlight a return on investment. 

Maintaining recent momentum could now prove more challenging. At the June 24 workshop, the board discussed potential future federal funding losses amid the presidential administration’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education. 

However, Hine said she and her colleagues thought the 2025-26 budget was safe. “I was surprised.” 

“It’s not customary to have funds frozen less than a month from school, and once we’ve already started our fiscal year,” Hine added. “It has never happened before, that I’m aware of.” 

District officials unanimously expressed dismay Tuesday that the federal government would abruptly freeze congressionally approved funding. Conservative board member Stephanie Meyer said she, like her colleagues, would welcome the spending scrutiny in 2026. 

“To pull the rug out from under K-12 school districts across the country right before school starts is really very concerning to me,” Meyer said. “I think we need to take a step back and say, ‘Yes, these reviews need to be made … however, we need to move forward with this federal funding for this school year.’”

Meyer said she would lean on her relationships within the Florida Department of Education. She suggested that others reach out to federal officials with their shared concerns. 

Congresswoman Kathy Castor pressed U.S. Secretary of Education Lisa McMahon and Office of Management and Budget Director Russel Vought in a letter Wednesday to release the funding immediately. She believes the presidential administration is “arbitrarily and illegally withholding congressionally-appropriated dollars without warning.” 

Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, a staunch supporter of the president, has not released a statement on the federal funding freeze. Her recent social media posts focus on conspiracy theories and the rumored firing of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. 

Hine said the funding supports teacher training and retention, a program that helps middle school students transition into adolescence and mental health and social services, an “extraordinarily important aspect.” However, the district will “figure out how to do the things we know we have to do.” 

Hine also noted that the county’s congressional representatives “have done their job” by appropriating the money. She wants state leadership to advocate on the district’s behalf, “and then we do need to have a serious conversation on what funding looks like in the future, because it does impact student success.” 

“We’re tasked with doing threat management, no one else,” Hendrick said Tuesday. “Obviously, that’s going to continue in the school district, but something else … is going to need to be cut in order for that to continue at its current level.” 

Board members broached the idea of community fundraising to support at-risk initiatives. Hine, a longtime St. Petersburg resident, said Wednesday that there is “so much amazing philanthropy in this community, but our public schools have never asked.” 

District officials have already spoken with local organizations, including the Juvenile Welfare Board and Pinellas Education Foundation, about the funding freeze and associated impacts. PCS will host a community forum on the topic Thursday, July 24, at 6 p.m. in its Administrative Building.

Hine said it would provide the public with an opportunity to understand the budget process and the district’s financial transparency. “If our funding model is changing, and we believe in these programs, and we believe they have an impact on kids, then we are going to have to ask for more help in the future,” she said.

“I would ask everybody, whether you have kids in school or not, to care about this.” 

Read the article as originally published at https://stpetecatalyst.com/federal-freeze-state-cuts-cost-pinellas-schools-10-7-million/

JWB Interim CEO Michael G. Mikurak will present on how JWB will support the Pinellas County School District in his report to the JWB Board at their meeting on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at 9:00 AM; CLICK HERE and navigate to the 7/24/25 Board Meeting to access the information packet.

Watch the video as originally published at https://www.wtsp.com/video/features/great-day-live/hop-on-board-the-jwb-summer-book-bus/67-5175d7d0-4c7c-41a5-aaba-1e48aa5e261a