President Trump takes US out of UNESCO for the second time
President Donald Trump has withdrawn the U.S. from the culture and education agency UNESCO.
The Trump administration announced on Friday it will return more than $5 billion in funding that it previously withheld from the nation’s K-12 public schools for over a month.
In California, an estimated $939 million in federal education funding was frozen, sending local school districts that had already approved budgets for the upcoming school year into a scramble.
The amount withheld within Monterey County, including Monterey County Office of Education and all school districts, was approximately $25,898,987, according to the Monterey County Office of Education.
“We are incredibly relieved that the Trump administration has lifted the freeze on federal education funding,” Monterey County Superintendent of Schools Deneen Guss said. “This is a critical step forward for our students, families, and educators. But the fight is not over, we must continue our strong advocacy to ensure that the 2026 federal budget protects the programs our communities rely on. Our educators, students and families deserve stability and investment in their future.”
Impacted funds include state grants for migrant education, English language acquisition, 21st Century community learning centers, student support and academic achievement, and supporting effective instruction, and adult education.
The funds were approved by Congress in March.
Feds say funds were withheld as part of review process
Friday’s announcement comes after the Trump administration announced that it released more than $1 billion of the paused funding to schools for after-school and summer learning programs on July 18.
The federal government froze the money on June 30 to allow for the White House’s Office of Management and Budget to review nearly $7 billion allocated for schools.
Madi Biedermann, a deputy assistant secretary for communications at the White House, told USA TODAY in an email on July 25 the agency’s review of the money complete and the agency will begin disbursing funds to states next week.
“OMB has completed its review of Title I-C, Title II-A, Title III-A, and Title IV-A ESEA funds and Title II WIOA funds, and has directed the Department to release all formula funds,” Biedermann wrote.
California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond had harsh words for the administration on Friday, July 25.
“Nearly two weeks after California joined with 23 other states to sue the Trump administration and nearly a month after grants were due to states, the administration has finally announced a plan to release education funds that they are illegally withholding,” he stated. “In the meantime, school is already in session in parts of California and the Trump administration’s actions continue to negatively impact California students. If we finally receive grant notifications next week, we will review them carefully. We are hopeful that the administration follows through on their announcement and quickly sends us these dollars that were appropriated by Congress last year, so that we can use them to serve our students.”
(This article has been updated with additional information.)
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