Trump Administration Withholding Nearly $10 Million for Imperial County Schools

For decades, American schools have relied on federal grants to help serve students who have economic and social challenges. But on the cusp of this upcoming school year the Trump administration flipped the script.  

One day before billions in federal funds were set to be distributed to schools, the Department of Education sent a letter informing recipients that their allocation would be reconsidered. Now, the future of billions of dollars supporting migrant education, English learners, retention of quality educators in low-income schools and more lies in limbo.  

Some regions, like Imperial County, will likely get hit hard. The region has the highest percentage of English language learner students in the state. Across the county’s 18 local education agencies, 37 percent of students are classified as English learners. 

Last year, Imperial County was awarded nearly $10 million in federal education funds. Thanks to the freeze, none of those funds have reached schools.  

Nearly half of what the county was set to receive would have been allocated for students of migratory workers. The next biggest chunks were funds for English learners and funds to support the retention and development of quality teachers. 

That funding is distributed to school districts based upon need, said Maribel Paez, chief business officer at the Imperial County office of education. Each district must petition for their funding on a yearly basis, but generally there isn’t a dramatic change in the amount allocated from one school year to the next. 

Between each of the grants on-hold now, Paez said, every district in the county has something to lose. 

“Right now, we know there’s a lot of uncertainty,” Paez said. “Those funds are very, very helpful for all of our school districts.” 

Districts with a with a large share of English learners or migrant students will shoulder the brunt of the burden if these cuts become permanent, Martha Hernandez, the executive director of Californians Together, a nonprofit that advocates for English learners. That’s especially true because the freeze was announced the day that the funds were supposed to be distributed and will likely leave districts scrambling to backfill funds already accounted for in their budgets. 

“It almost feels like an attack on public education as a whole, to just create chaos, in districts,” she said. 

English Learner Funds 

Of the frozen funds, $2 million of what Imperial County receives goes to English language learners. 

Calexico Unified School District receives the most funding of any Imperial County district. When it comes to funding for English learners, the district receives more than double what the second highest recipient, El Centro Elementary School District, receives.  

That’s because 56 percent of Calexico’s over 8,000 students are English learners, and those are distributed as a dollar amount per student.  

In total, Calexico received $767,757 for English learners and immigrant English learners last school year. 

If those dollars aren’t distributed, the impact will be felt across the district, said Elisa Ramirez, Calexico’s assistant superintendent of educational services. 

The reach of these programs and the funds for migrant and English learner students go beyond providing opportunities for academic success, they also ensure social-emotional stability for students and positive health outcomes, she said. 

“These programs not only provide supplemental academic and language development support but also address social-emotional needs, access to health services, family engagement, and college and career readiness,” she said. 

Migrant Education 

Migrant students refer to children of migratory workers who move to find seasonal or temporary agricultural employment. And Imperial County has a lot of them. 

The county has the second highest percentage of migrant students of any county in California, second only to the small, agriculture heavy San Benito County. 

Because migrant education programs often involve students who switch between schools throughout growing seasons, nearly half of the $4.7 million in funding for these students is managed by the county office of education. 

For the upcoming school year, Paez, chief business officer for the school districts under Imperial County, said migrant education will be a specific pain point if funding isn’t restored. Calexico’s migrant program will likely be hit especially hard, she said. 

While education officials like Paez are trying to be proactive in coming up with ways to support the students who will be affected by reduced or eliminated funds, other funding sources won’t plug the hole that these grants do, she said. 

Ramirez, Calexico’s assistant superintendent, echoed the sentiment and said the cuts to funding would be noticeable and, ultimately, cause harm. 

“Migrant and English Learner students are vital members of our school community,” Ramirez said. “Any reduction or disruption in federal support would significantly impact our ability to provide comprehensive services that ensure equitable outcomes for these students.”