Trump administration withdraws education funding for nearly 100,000 Michigan students

President Donald Trump’s administration is reeling back tens of millions of dollars in federal education funding that was supposed to go to dozens of Michigan school districts. 

MICHIGAN—About two dozen Michigan school districts could soon be forced to tap into their reserves or abandon ongoing school improvement projects after President Donald Trump’s administration pulled the plug on more than $40 million in federal funding to help support them.

Last week, US Education Secretary Linda McMahon issued a memo to state education agencies across the country—effectively walking back a commitment to provide pandemic-era federal funds for school districts across the country that were working to improve their air quality.

As a result, at least 27 school districts across Michigan, which collectively enroll about 100,000 students, are now set to lose out on about $42 million in federal funding this year, officials said.

In a statement, State Superintendent Michael Rice said the federal funds—which were allocated to school districts nationwide through the American Rescue Plan Act—were already set to be spent on projects including heating, ventilation, air conditioning systems, boilers, and windows. 

And in many cases, the school districts have already entered into contracts with the understanding that their pre-approved projects would be reimbursed by the federal government.

Some schools have reportedly used the pandemic relief funding to buy technology for students learning from home and to train educators working remotely, among other COVID-era needs. The last round of federal funding required schools to focus on academic recovery for students.

Michigan school leaders have also used the funds for mental health support, tutoring and building improvements, among other things, according to reports from Bridge Michigan. 

Now, under the latest move in the Trump administration’s ongoing effort to dismantle the US Department of Education, those school districts will be on the hook for the costs, Rice said.

“A change in administrations should not void previous commitments,” Rice said, noting that some of the affected school districts may be forced to reduce instructional expenses for students, spend their savings, or both, to honor contracts that have already been signed.

Among the Michigan school districts that were affected by McMahon’s latest directive, which are now set to be collectively shorted out of about $42 million in pre-approved federal funding:

• Adrian Public Schools
• Battle Creek Public Schools 
• Benton Harbor Area Schools 
• Bridgeport-Spaulding Schools 
• Brighton Area Schools 
• Carman-Ainsworth Comm. Schools 
• Chandler Park Academy 
• Flint City School District 
• Grandville Public Schools 
• Greenville Public Schools
• Hamtramck School District 
• Insight School of Michigan 
• Lincoln Park School District
• Marquette Area Public Schools
• Marysville Public Schools 
• Michigan Great Lakes Virtual Academy 
• Northville Public Schools 
• Pontiac School District 
• Port Huron Area Schools 
• Reed City Area Schools 
• River Rouge City School District 
• Royal Oak Schools
• Van Buren Public Schools 
• Wayland Union Schools 

Under President Joe Biden’s administration, school districts across the country had been given a clear deadline of March 28, 2026 to receive reimbursements for various infrastructure projects through the American Rescue Plan Act. McMahon’s new directive bumped that deadline to March 28, 2025—the same day that the memorandum was sent to state education officials. 

Dozens of Michigan schools were banking on that cash but will no longer be paid.

Flint City School District will lose the most federal funding—about $15 million. Hamtramck School District will be on the hook for about $7.2 million. Benton Harbor Area Schools, Battle Creek Public Schools, and the Pontiac School district will each lose out on more than $3 million. 

Northville Public Schools and Port Huron Area Schools are the most heavily populated districts on the list, with about 7,000 students each, according to state enrollment data. More than 5,000 students also both attend Brighton Area Schools and Grandville Public Schools, data shows. 

In her memo, McMahon said the Biden administration’s reimbursement deadline was “not justified,” and that state education leaders have already had “ample” time to get their cash.

Rice and State Board of Education President Pamela Pugh are urging the Trump administration to rethink the decision and honor federal spending commitments that have already been made—or else risk causing more “harm” to students and schools across the state, particularly in communities like Flint, Pontiac, and Benton Harbor that were hit especially hard by COVID-19.

“These federally funded projects are important to students and staff in our districts in Michigan and across the country,” Pugh said in a statement. “To cancel funding approval on no notice and to tell districts that they may apply for a second approval from the US Department of Education to access these funds, with different criteria, has nothing to do with service to schoolchildren.”

READ MORE: What would an Education Department shutdown mean for Michigan?

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