U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta says fight for education funds is not over
SEASIDE, Calif. (KION-TV) -- U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta asked constituents to push back against President Trump, in a meeting at Seaside High School on Monday, in response to federal educational funds being frozen and then released.
On the day before schools were to receive approved funds for their programs, the Department of Education announced that billions of dollars of funds were under review.
"This was all a very big shock," Dr. Deneen Guss, Monterey County superintendent of schools, said.
The Trump administration suspended more than six billion in funding to review that the spending aligned with The White House’s positions.
The administration accused states and schools of using federal grants to help fund “a radical leftwing agenda.”
On Friday, the Department of Education announced that they would be releasing those funds; almost one billion of that being the state of California's.
"Trust me, if this administration is allowed to make these types of cuts without any body speaking up are pushing back, they will make these cuts," Panetta said.
Panetta and other local leaders met to remind people the fight is not over.
"This is just a small part of playing our part of making sure that this administration realizes the damage, the destruction, how detrimental (funding cuts) will be to our students," Panetta said.
Guss is concerned over long-term funding.
"We have no idea how much funding they will release," Guss said. "We have no idea when that funding will be released."
Guss referencing that the administration said these funds would come with "new guardrails" but explaining that local admins do not know what that entails.
She said just one of the programs the county hosts costs $500,000 a month and said programs would take a severe impact if they just had state funding to fall back on.
Guss also mentioned a potential effect would be letting some teachers go.
Minc Robinson Brooker is a local teacher who worries about limits being placed on what her students can learn.
"We see whole ideologies that are being dismantled and destroyed," Brooker said. "And I'm talking about positive ideologies where everyone can embrace a different type of story, a different type of narrative"
Brooker said despite the fight ahead, she will continue to encourage her students to expand and grow.
"This is just the beginning," Brooker said. "We have a fight to continue, but we're ready for it."
