April 16, 2025
TOPEKA, Kan. — Governor Laura Kelly is calling foul after the Trump administration abruptly rescinded $22.6 million in federal education relief funds earmarked for Kansas schools, teachers, and child care providers.
The funding, part of a broader $3 billion rollback of unspent federal pandemic aid, had already been allocated by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) to support critical programs — including retraining teachers, helping students recover from pandemic learning loss, and covering costs for early childhood educators.
“Abruptly stripping this funding is a disservice to the Kansas students and teachers who rely on it to excel in the classroom,” said Governor Kelly in a letter sent Tuesday to U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “This funding is critical for our schools to continue setting Kansas children up for a strong start to life.”
What’s at Stake
The $22.6 million loss hits Kansas just as schools continue to battle staffing shortages, address student academic setbacks, and expand early childhood education. The revoked funds were being used for:
- Retraining teachers in the science of reading
- Evidence-based learning interventions
- Career and post-secondary exploration for students
- Lowering startup costs for child care providers
- Waiving fees for licensure, fingerprinting, and background checks for early childhood educators
Since 2021, these efforts have saved Kansas providers more than $3.3 million and supported over 15,500 new educators.
With the federal clawback now in place, those waived fees are returning — placing new financial burdens on prospective providers and threatening Kansas’ progress in early education.
The Bigger Picture
Kansas isn’t alone. The U.S. Department of Education announced in late March that it would be recouping pandemic-era funding from multiple states, stating that extensions for spending the funds had gone on “long enough.” That decision sparked immediate backlash.
A coalition of 16 states and the District of Columbia have since sued the Trump administration, claiming the cuts are not only abrupt but illegal. Plaintiffs argue the rescission violates administrative law and undermines commitments previously made to support at-risk students.
Kansas’s Appeal
On April 3, KSDE formally asked the federal government to restore the funds. That request remains under consideration. In the meantime, Governor Kelly is pushing for a full reversal, pointing out that Kansas followed the rules and had already obligated the money.
“We used these funds responsibly to support classrooms, students, and teachers. Pulling the rug out now doesn’t just hurt budgets — it hurts kids,” said one state education official who asked not to be named due to ongoing negotiations.
A Pattern of Cuts?
The funding controversy fits into a broader theme emerging under the Trump administration: an aggressive rollback of federal involvement in public education. President Trump has repeatedly called for dismantling the U.S. Department of Education altogether, stating that control should rest with states and local school boards.
Secretary McMahon echoed that vision in a March press release, stating the department’s goal is to “return education to the states where it so rightly belongs.”
But critics argue this philosophy leaves vulnerable students behind — especially those in rural or underfunded districts.
What’s Next
For now, Kansas educators and child care providers are left in limbo. Programs are being paused. New hires face unexpected costs. And classrooms that had just begun to recover from the pandemic face yet another challenge.
Governor Kelly’s letter to Secretary McMahon, along with Kansas’s formal appeal, is part of a growing pressure campaign that could soon find itself in court.
“This is about more than funding,” Kelly’s office said in a statement. “It’s about making good on promises to the people who kept our schools going through the worst public health crisis in a century.”
