The Trump administration has announced it would release over $6 billion in federal funding for schools across the country this week. In response, Arizona Department of Education Tom Horne vows to get the money to schools as soon as possible.
The U.S. Department of Education was due to release funds for five federal programs at the beginning of July, but withheld the funds, saying the previously approved grants were under review to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent “in accordance with President Trump’s priorities.”
The amount that was withheld under the review was approximately $124 million, or about one percent of overall school funding in Arizona.
“The release of federal funds that were being reviewed by the Trump administration is good news and no surprise to me,” stated Horne. “When the review was announced I noted that the federal government is merely ensuring that the funds are being used appropriately and not for ideological purposes. People need to be assured that their education tax dollars are being used to advance academic goals and not social indoctrination.”
“When the pause occurred, a lot of people panicked thinking the money would go away entirely,” stated Horne. “I said at the time that this was merely a pause for review and that is exactly what happened. The Arizona Department of Education staff will work very hard to disburse these funds as soon as possible.”
That is very good news.