By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
Gov. Andy Beshear announced on Monday he and leaders from 23 other states and the District of Columbia are challenging the Trump Administration over what they term its unlawful decision to freeze $6.8 billion in education funding appropriated by Congress through the U.S. Department of Education (DOE).
The funds were appropriated by Congress, and the freeze violates federal statutory and regulatory requirements, according to the plaintiffs.
“This is not about Democrat or Republican – these funds were appropriated by Congress for the education of Kentucky’s children, and it’s my job to ensure we get them,” Beshear said. “In Kentucky, $96 million in federal education funds are at risk. Our kids and our future depend on a strong education, and these funds are essential to making sure our kids succeed.”
Under federal law, the DOE provides funding to states to support programs that promote classroom learning, improve school conditions, support technology use, fund community learning centers and more. For Kentucky, about $87 million was appropriated to the Kentucky Department of Education to distribute to local school districts, while $9 million was appropriated to the Education and Labor Cabinet for grant funding around adult literacy.
State plans are approved prior to the release of the funds, and in some cases, already expended, as these funds have been received for decades without incident. However, this year, on June 30, state agencies across the country received a notification announcing that the DOE would not be “obligating funds for” six formula funding programs on July 1.
Now, Kentucky and other states are scrambling due to a lack of sufficient funding for these commitments just weeks before the start of the 2025-2026 school year.
States that have joined the lawsuit with Kentucky include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, as well as the District of Columbia.
A copy of the 96-page lawsuit, which was filed at U.S. District Court in Rhode Island, is available at governor.ky.gov.