President Donald Trump this week in a last-minute decision chose to withhold approximately $1 billion in federal funds to California schools already designated by Congress, according to the California Department of Education.

Department of Education Superintendent Tony Thurmond is now considering legal action against the administration, his department said in a news release.

Closer to home, $7.1 million for Fresno Unified and $2.2 million at Clovis Unified have been impounded, representatives from those districts said.

Fresno Unified Superintendent Misty Her — who had to deal with a $77 million deficit for the upcoming school year — said she was “deeply outraged by the U.S. Department of Education’s decision to withhold critical federal funding that Congress has already allocated to support our schools.”

Fresno Unified has a $1.1 billion budget for the 2025-26 school year.

“At Fresno Unified, our commitment to every student remains unwavering,” Her said. “As your Superintendent, I will do everything within my power to protect our students and shield them from the consequences of these harmful cuts. We will continue to advocate relentlessly for the funding our students deserve.”

At Clovis Unified, officials are evaluating what the cuts will mean for learning, said Kelly Avants, spokesperson for the district. She said they are “closely watching the issue.”

“In Clovis Unified, the funds frozen this week would result in the loss of approximately $2.2 million,” Avants said. “We are hopeful it won’t be necessary, but are prepared to pivot as needed to ensure the needs of our students served by these funding streams are met.”

Cuts to Impact English Language Learning, Migrant Education

The U.S. education department historically releases its funding to the states on July 1. The day before, however, the department informed the states they would cut funding for several programs: English-language learning, professional development, academic enrichment, migrant education, and before- and after-school programs.

In total, the administration withheld about $6.2 billion from states, according to analysis from the Learning Policy Institute. For California schools, that translates to a 16% cut from the previous year.

In an email to state education agencies, the administration said no decision has yet been made about funding for those programs, EdWeek.org reported.

“Decisions have not been made concerning submissions and awards for this upcoming academic year,” the email stated. “Accordingly, the Department will not be issuing Grant Award Notifications obligating funds for these programs on July 1 prior to completing that review.”

The federal education department did not immediately respond to an email request from GV Wire.