‘You’re not without hope’; Abilene students/schools navigate Trump education funding freeze

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Only a few weeks remain until children in U.S. schools return to their classrooms for a new academic year. However, before students can begin their studies, school boards and districts nationwide are making significant last-minute changes to comply with actions taken by the Trump administration, which some have deemed unlawful.

The Trump administration is withholding $5.6 million in public education funding that Congress had previously approved. One affected program is the Adult Education & Literacy Program (AEL) at the Abilene Independent School District (AISD), which is currently closed. The district is awaiting clarification on the future of the funding. Meredith Goodner, the Director of the Premier High School Abilene Campus, told KTAB/KRBC that while she is accustomed to occasional legislative challenges affecting school planning, this year’s federal changes have been more significant than expected.

“I would say every year there is something we get, sometimes two weeks’ notice, sometimes a month’s notice… and that’s it. And you have to implement… Clearly, they are trying to make changes in the Department of Education… We always get this money… We’re not expecting Title II, III, and IV to just not have anything,” Goodner said.

While federally funded adult education programs await the next steps, Premier High School is stepping in to offer its services. It was last September that the school first opened its own adult education in partnership with Texas Works. Since the Premier program is funded by the state, it will proceed as planned, unaffected by the federal freeze.

For those looking to pursue adult education or currently navigating the difficulties created by the funding freeze, Goodner encourages all to inquire about their program offerings and see if Premier might be able to help them overcome this hurdle on Capitol Hill.