“If the funds are not released, there will be employees losing their jobs, programs will be dropped, school schedules will be adjusted and every school will be affected,” said Yuma County School Superintendent Tom Hurt.
Hurt’s comment was pointed at the challenge schools in Yuma County and across the nation are facing now: what will happen now that a significant chunk of their federal funding will be withheld indefinitely?
On Monday, June 30, the U.S. Department of Education notified states it would be withholding funds for certain program activities, namely those involving migrant education (Title I, Part C), professional development (Title II, Part A), English language learning (Title III), student support and academic enrichment (Title IV, Part A), and before- and after-school programming (Title IV, Part B). A second notice added that funds would also be withheld for adult education programs.
Typically, schools receive their first wave of federal funding on July 1st, the start of their fiscal year. But the Education Department stated that “decisions have not yet been made concerning submissions and awards for this upcoming academic year,” citing a programmatic review.
Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Representative Greg Stanton had sent a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, pointing out that “the timing of this withholding is particularly serious for Arizona schools that begin the new school earlier than many schools across the country.”
In both Yuma and La Paz counties, the first day of school comes as early as Monday, July 28. Public and charter school administrators have shared there’s a lot of uncertainty and a lot they don’t know; little information is publicly available about the programmatic review holding up the funds.
Because of that review, approximately $6.8 billion is being withheld. Of that $6.8 billion, an estimated $118 million belongs to Arizona schools.
Using fiscal year 2025 figures, the Yuma County School Superintendent’s Office calculated that the county’s public schools are missing at least $15.9 million.
The La Paz County School Superintendent’s Office did not respond to KAWC’s request for information, but using the preliminary allocations from, mainly, fiscal year 2025, it is likely La Paz County public schools are missing at least $222K.
Preliminary FY 2025 + FY 2026 allocations for withheld Title programs in La Paz County*
(Sources: Title I-C, Title II-A, Title III, Title IV-A, Title IV-B)
For a quick comparison, the available fiscal 2025 allocations for Yuma County on the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) add up to $12.5 million. These are a combination of final, official amounts and the reported preliminary allocations.
Considering the discrepancy from the final reported amount from Hurt's office, which includes adult education program funds, it's possible La Paz County is missing more money than estimated here.
Preliminary + Official FY 2025, 2026 allocations for withheld Title programs in Yuma County (does NOT reflect complete amount of withheld funds)*
(Sources: Title I-C, Title II-A, Title III, Title IV-A, Title IV-B)
*Charter districts are not factored into final counts of withheld funds for either county. Since some have campuses in other counties, their allocation amounts do not accurately represent Yuma or La Paz alone.
Adult Education
As for the impact on adult education in either county, the allocations by county or program are not publicly available online, but a June 2025 newsletter from the Arizona Department of Education notes that an estimated $14,697,799 has been allocated for adult basic and literacy education in the state. No estimates were available at that time for Adult Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education.
Yuma County has three adult education program locations:
- Adult Literacy Plus of Southwest Arizona - 1075 6th Ave., San Luis, Ariz.
- Adult Literacy Plus of Southwest Arizona - 825 S. Orange Ave., Yuma, Ariz.
- Somerton Adult Education Program - 1011 Somerton Ave., Somerton, Ariz
La Paz County has one adult education program location:
- Arizona Western College, La Paz County Services - 1109 S. Geronimo Ave., Parker, Ariz.
Fort. Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe (Winterhaven, Calif.)
Although located in Winterhaven, Calif., the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe has historically been a part of the Yuma community due to its relationship with the Colorado River crossing. It continues to be a part of the Yuma community through ongoing partnerships, such as its education ties with Arizona Western College.
Below is an estimate of the impact to Quechan students using available FY 2025 numbers for their public school district, San Pasqual Valley Unified School District:
Title I-C - Not specified, but total for Imperial county is $4,780,585
Title II-A: $57,017
Title III: $17,222
Title IV-A: $0
Title IV-B: N/A
Adult Education: Not specified, but total for Imperial County is $2,412,240
Total: At least ~ $74,239; no more than $7,267,064.
KAWC reached out to public and charter school districts from both counties. Here's what they had to say.
District Responses
Yuma County
Antelope Union High School District
No response.
Crane Elementary School District
"Yes, the announced delays in the July 1 disbursement of federal funds are impacting eligible school districts and charter schools across Arizona, and nationally. The extent of the impact varies by entity, depending on the amount of federal funding awarded. The programs currently affected include:
- Title I-C Migrant Education Program
- Title II (Improving Teacher Quality and School Leadership)
- Title III (English Language Learners)
- Title IV, Part A (Student Support and Academic Enrichment)
- Title IV, Part B (21st Century Community Learning Centers)
- WIOA Title II, Adult Education State Grant Program
"Our district receives all the funding listed above with the exception of the last one, the WIOA Title II grant.
"At this time, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) is still reviewing Fiscal Year 2026 allocations for these programs. As a result, Grant Award Notifications have not yet been issued to states, preventing the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) from accessing these federal funds. Until ED and the Office of Management and Budget release official allocations, ADE cannot obligate or distribute funds to local educational agencies.
"While this delay has created uncertainty in our federal budget planning, timing remains a critical concern. Under the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, the executive branch is limited in its ability to withhold funds that have been appropriated by Congress. In general, the Act outlines two types of impoundments:
- Rescission: A request to cancel budget authority, which must be approved by Congress within 45 legislative days, or the funds must be released as appropriated.
- Deferral: A temporary delay in spending, which may be overridden by Congress.
"Once a clear timeline has been determined, we’ll be better equipped to manage any impacts within our federal budgets. We continue to monitor the situation closely and will adjust our planning as more information becomes available."
— CFO Dale Ponder
Gadsden Elementary School District #32
No response.
Hyder School District
“As changes occur and news comes down the pipe, we’ll be watching very carefully and see how it plays out."
— Superintendent Deb Stewart.
Mohawk Valley School District #17
"At this point it only appears that our federal title grants are on hold. Mohawk Valley has Title I, Title II, and Title IV. All of those funds are on hold. Not receiving these funds will create a financial burden for our district. We use these funds directly for staffing that service our students."
— Superintendent/Principal Shanna Johnson
Somerton Elementary School District #11
No response.
Wellton Elementary School District #24
No response.
Yuma Elementary School District One
"Yuma School District One is aware of the reports indicating a delay in the release of certain federal education funds to the state and are actively monitoring the situation. We want to reassure our families and staff that we are proceeding with cautious optimism as we await further guidance and clarification from state and federal agencies.
"Our district has planned responsibly for the upcoming school year, and we remain committed to providing high-quality instruction and support for our students. When we receive further information from the Arizona Department of Education, we will be sure to update our families and staff."
— district response, sent by Communications and Community Engagement Coordinator Christine McCoy
Yuma Union High School District
"We would like to decline comment at this time."
The Charter Foundation Inc. (AmeriSchools Academy)
No response.
Harvest Power Community Development Group Inc. (Harvest Preparatory Academy)
No response.
Juniper Tree Academy (Desert View Academy)
No response.
PPEP INC.
"At PPEP TEC High School – Cesar Chavez, a small alternative charter school in San Luis, we do receive funding through several of the programs currently listed under the freeze. Specifically, we usually benefit from:
"Title I, Part C (Migrant Education): Over 70 percent of the students we serve are migrant students and rely on these funds to provide academic interventions and wraparound support services.
"Title III (English Language Acquisition): We have a significant number of English Learners, and this funding helps us provide targeted language support.
"Title IV, Part B (21st Century Community Learning Centers): These funds help sustain after-school academic enrichment and tutoring, which are especially valuable for our students at risk of falling behind.
"Currently, we are still assessing the full impact of the freeze. However, any disruption in these funding streams could significantly affect our ability to provide essential services during the 2025–2026 school year.
"So to your point — 'We don’t know yet' is indeed accurate at this point."
— Principal/Lead Teacher Monica Berumen
(Additional interview commentary from Superintendent Wayne Tucker will be included in a deep dive piece)
Yuma Private Industry Council, Inc. (EOCC High School)
No response.
La Paz County
Bicentennial Union High School District #76
No response.
Bouse Elementary District #26
"Yes, we are concerned about the budgetary effects short and long term as we prepare for our students and staff to return for the upcoming 25/26 academic year.
"The uncertainty, and lack of transparency that we have experienced at all levels of our government entities has been our biggest challenge. Being forced to submit and approve budgets without solid financial numbers from the state is not an appropriate way to conduct business in my opinion. Having to come back after the process, make adjustments and gain board approval once again is unique this year.
"Additionally, we are concerned as a Title I school with a high demographic of Spanish speaking students, and thus we rely heavily on funding at all levels for most operations for our one school district. It is imperative that the federal government and our state agencies work together, as to not undermine our vision and support for our students, parents, staff and community. Unfortunately, we are now forced to do more with less. A common theme in education."
— District Administrator Paul Martin
Parker Unified School District #27
"I know that for Parker Unified we will feel these cuts in Title II-A, Title IV-A, and Title IV-B. Our migrant population is next to zero and our title III funds are less than $9000 per year.
"Parker Unified uses Title II-A and Title IV-A to fund an Instructional Coach to improve our teacher quality. By having high quality instructors, we can increase our student’s academic achievement. Overall, the cuts to Title II and Title IV A programs will be about $104,000 to the district. We currently have one instructional coach for the district that is paid for through these funds. We will be looking at other funding sources to continue this position.
"For Title IV-B, 21st Century Community Learning grant, we utilize this with our after school programs to enhance learning. This grant was never a large grant, but it PUSD will see a loss of funding from this grant being cut/frozen.
"Overall, the loss of funding will have an effect on student achievement in our school district. Luckily, we will be able to absorb the cost of keeping the instructional specialist for the upcoming academic year. If there is a continued loss of funding in future academic years, then PUSD will make the changes needed to keep our expenditures in line with anticipated revenues."
— Superintendent Brad Sale
Quartzsite Elementary District #4
No response.
Salome Consolidated Elementary District #30
"We won’t be commenting at this time."
Wenden Elementary District #19
No response.
Educational Options Foundation (Quartzsite Learning Center)
No response.
—
Stay tuned for a deeper dive on this subject.
This reporting is supported by a grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation.
