GREEN BAY (NBC26) — The Green Bay Area Public School District says it is awaiting around $3.4 million in federal money in the wake of the Trump administration's decision to withhold more than $6 billion in grant money from schools.
The grants were already approved, but now are being reviewed to make sure they align with Trump's values, according to the Associated Press.
Tuesday afternoon, Green Bay district spokesperson Lori Blakeslee said the district is counting on title grants to pay for things like literacy and math support staff, bilingual and multilingual staff, social workers, counselors and some professional development programs.
"Title funding is for our most vulnerable students," Blakeslee told NBC 26 over the phone. "To not provide those funds is obviously very concerning."
Blakeslee said staff and programming is already in place for the upcoming school year and the district hopes the funds will be released at some point.
NBC 26 reached out to U.S. Rep Tony Wied (R) for comment about the president's decision to review the grant money for schools.
“The Trump Administration has yet to finalize a budget," Wied wrote in response. "It is my goal in Congress to return power back to the states and our local communities. Teachers in the classroom are far more qualified than bureaucrats sitting behind desks in Washington, D.C.”
Separately, in a news release sent Tuesday, the district says the recently passed state budget, "Falls far short of addressing the financial needs of our District and shifts the burden onto local property owners."
"GBAPS administration and the Board of Education will continue its efforts to balance its budget; however, for the next two school years the 2025-27 state budget will result in the District making additional cuts as revenue will not keep pace with inflation," the news release continued.
As we've previously reported, state lawmakers have touted the latest budget's focus on reimbursing schools for special education expenses.
Blakeslee says, based on past experience, the district is planning to receive less than the state money which was budgeted.
