Federal education funding to be released, offering relief to Florida schools
Close to $400 million in federal grants promised to Florida school districts will be released by the Trump administration, according to reports.
As of yesterday, the $35 million in funds promised to Miami-Dade County Public Schools remained frozen. Earlier this month, the figure was $10 million higher, but some funds were released for after-school programs.
In Broward, at least $30 million in funds were promised to the school district and then frozen.
Nationwide, more than $5 billion in public school funding had been placed on hold. The freeze began June 30, just one day before the grants were expected to arrive. TheWhite HouseOffice of Management and Budget has been reviewing the funds to determine whether they were being used to support a “radical leftwing agenda.”
“It is incredible, encouraging news that we do not have to hold back on certain areas,” said Miami-Dade Superintendent Jose L. Dotres.
“It will allow us to continue improving the trajectory of the school district and the services we provide to our community.”
Dotres had been lobbying lawmakers in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C., to release the funding for the past few weeks, and had already started making cuts for the upcoming year, such as cutting purchases on textbook, supplies, and delaying certain teacher training programs. Now, the district will be able to proceed as usual.
In Miami-Dade, the grants fund programs such as English language learning, science and technology innovation, teacher training, migrant education and adult education.
John J. Sullivan, chief communications officer for Broward schools, said he is grateful the funds will soon be released.
“These critical resources allow us to continue providing essential services and supports for our students, families, and schools,” said Sullivan.
Ron Steiger, the Miami-Dade school district’s chief financial officer, said he received multiple texts with links to news articles announcing the release of funds. Though he has not yet received formal notice from the U.S. Department of Education, he said he was relieved.
“Nothing actually ended up harming anything,” he said, adding that he believed this outcome was the most likely all along.
Two lawsuits related to the funding freeze are still active. One, brought by 24 states and the District of Columbia, asked a federal judge in Rhode Island to order the release of the funds. Florida was not a party to that suit.
A second case was filed by a coalition of organizations—including the Florida Parent Teacher Association and P.S. 305, a Miami education advocacy group—in the same court. On Wednesday, a judge agreed to consider the two cases together. A hearing for emergency relief is scheduled for Aug. 13.
Despite the administration’s announcement, Florida PTA President-elect Jude Bruno said the legal challenge remains necessary.
“The harm still exists until school districts actually receive the funds or, at the very least, are issued award and grant issuance letters with clear timelines for when to expect them,” Bruno said in a text message to the Miami Herald.
Mina Hosseini, executive director of P.S. 305 agreed that this is not the end of what she says is a school “system chronically starved of resources.”
“The future of public education cannot be left vulnerable to political whims—it must be protected by the people,” she told the Miami Herald.
Mari Tere Rojas, the chair of the Miami-Dade school board, said in a statement, “These programs, which enjoy bipartisan support, are vital for the operation and functioning of our local public schools for this upcoming school year.”
Ray Hart, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools, a coalition of school districts, said in a statement that he is “relieved” the Education Department has released the remainder of the funds authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act “for the benefit of schoolchildren throughout our nation.”
School board member Steve Gallon also welcomed the news—but issued a warning.
He expressed frustration that some elected leaders had remained silent “in the face of what could potentially devastate the learning and lives of children and families… Seemingly shackled by fear and partisanship,” he said in a text message.
“I am concerned that this is not the end,” he added.
This story was originally published July 26, 2025 at 2:00 PM.
