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Twenty-four states with Democratic governors and Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit against the administration, and soon after, another lawsuit was filed by the advocacy group Democracy Forward on behalf of several education organizations across the country, three school districts in Alaska, and Cincinnati Public Schools.

Early Friday afternoon, the White House's Office of Management and Budget told WVXU it had completed its programmatic review for grants used to fund 21st Century Community Learning Centers and will be releasing funds to states.

The freeze is likely to have a significant impact on the region's largest school district, Cincinnati Public Schools, which runs several programs for immigrant students, English language learners, and adult learners.

The federal government said it would consider funding extensions for certain projects on a case-by-case basis. The Kentucky Department of Education says it submitted several projects to be considered, but most were denied.

The deadline for some state and local districts to spend funding intended to help students recover academically from the pandemic was extended to March 2026 under the Biden Administration, but U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon now says those funds must be liquidated within the next few months.

Kentucky has a shortage of teachers. The state's Department of Education says 13% of vacant staff positions went unfilled last school year.

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