DENVER — School districts across Colorado are scrambling to cope after the Trump administration withheld nearly $70 million in expected federal education funding — a move local officials are calling “unconscionable” and “a dangerous overreach.”
The funding block, announced July 1, affects a wide range of student programs, from after-school activities and bilingual education to teacher recruitment and paraprofessional stipends. District leaders warn the disruption could harm some of the state’s most vulnerable students.
Critical Programs Now at Risk
In Lake County, Superintendent Kate Bartlett fears losing two-thirds of her district’s after-school programs — a vital resource for students whose parents work long hours.
“It absolutely wrenches my heart,” said Bartlett. “We’re doing everything we can to minimize disruptions, but I’ve got to be real: I think it’s going to be a disruptive period.”
The 900-student district runs popular enrichment programs like robotics, bagpipe lessons, tutoring, and free meals on its four-day school week — all now hanging in the balance due to nearly $400,000 in frozen federal support.
“It’s not just kids — it’s families and the broader economy,” she added. “If your child’s safe place closes at 3:45 instead of 6 p.m., that puts pressure on everyone.”
Funding Breakdown
According to the Colorado Department of Education, the $70 million shortfall includes:
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$11.2 million for multilingual learners and immigrant students
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$7.2 million for migrant student support (primarily for children of farmworkers)
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$26 million for teacher training, retention, and class size reduction
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$13 million for after-school, summer, tutoring, and enrichment programs
The freeze is part of a broader $7 billion hold on K–12 federal education funds across the U.S. — money that had already been approved by Congress for the 2025–26 school year. The Department of Education says the delay is to ensure funds align with the president’s “priorities.”
Districts Already Feeling the Strain
Denver Public Schools, the state’s largest district, could lose around $10 million, affecting teacher training, after-school activities, and support for multilingual learners.
“This is a defunding of programming for 5- to 18-year-olds,” said Chuck Carpenter, DPS’s chief of finance. “We’re taking money we were giving to children and saying this isn’t important anymore.”
Superintendent Alex Marrero and school board president Carrie Olson issued a joint statement calling the move “a dangerous overreach of federal authority” that “threatens core programming” for Latino, Black, and multilingual students.
In Fort Morgan, Superintendent Rob Sanders is dealing with a projected $285,000 shortfall. The money supports a dual-language program, instructional coaches, and paraprofessionals.
“We already passed our budgets and offered positions,” Sanders said. “Now we’re staring down a $285,000 hole.”
While Sanders believes the funds may eventually be released, he criticized the tactic: “It’s all about sowing chaos, and I don’t think that chaos is good.”
Statewide Alarm
Melissa Gibson, executive director of the Colorado Association of School Executives, said superintendents across the state are panicked.
“This is going to force some really painful decisions,” she said.
Despite the uncertainty, school leaders remain committed to serving students — even if it means scaling back essential programs that families depend on.
“We’ll do our best,” said Bartlett, “but families deserve better than this.”
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