News & Press | School + State Finance Project

FOX 61: President Trump withholds $53.6 million from Connecticut schools, community organizations

Written by Dalton Zbierski, FOX 61 | Jul 5, 2025 10:30:00 PM

Earlier this week, the administration of President Donald Trump withheld over $6.8 billion in federal K-12 funding for the 2025-2026 school year, baffling educators across the United States.

Connecticut public school districts and community organizations are among those impacted, as they’ve lost an estimated $53.6 million.

That’s according to the School and State Finance Project, a nonpartisan policy organization focused on ensuring equitable education funding for all Connecticut students. The group issued a report on Thursday identifying the challenges presented by Trump’s decision.

After being approved by Congress in March, the funds were expected to be distributed to state agencies on July 1, but the Trump administration acted to ensure otherwise.

In Connecticut, the money was meant to be spent on educator development, multilingual learners, before-and-after-school programs, academic enrichment, migrant education, adult education and wraparound services for students.

 The School and State Finance Project said that the withheld funds equal over 10% of the federal funding Connecticut receives each year for K-12 education. All but seven of the state’s public-school districts are set to lose funding as a result.