by A delay in federal funding pushed Fort Worth ISD to review programs that help students outside of the classroom as leaders look to offset costs.
Affected programs include those with the
Tarrant To & Through Partnership
,
Girls Inc. of Tarrant County
,
Communities in Schools
of Greater Tarrant County, as well as
My Brother’s Keeper
and My Sister’s Keeper — all tied to the $10 million that Fort Worth ISD expected from the U.S. Department of Education.
Fort Worth ISD is not alone. Fort Worth-area school districts are working to figure out how a delay in nearly $6.8 billion in federal funding will impact students during the new academic year. The dollars are for programs that support before- and after-school programs, English learner services, teacher professional development and more.
Fort Worth ISD leaders plan to spend the remainder of July looking at how to balance the books without the federal support, spokesperson Jessica Becerra said. Top administrators are reviewing impacted positions and contracts based on guidance from the Texas Education Agency.
Services are contracted through July 31. Students and families may be directly impacted when the new school year begins Aug. 12, Becerra said.
“We understand these programs and services have a significant impact on many of our students and families. We are invested in all facets of success for our students, academically and socially,” Becerra said. “Because of this, we plan on spending this month closely looking at our finances and contracts to find ways to still help our students and families while also being able to provide the educational resources our students need.”
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A decision about releasing the funds may not come until September 2026, Becerra said.
The Education Department
delayed distributing
:
- $1.3 billion for Title IV-A for academic enrichment
- $1.4 billion for Title IV-B for before- and after-school programs
- $2.2 billion for Title II-A for professional development
- $375 million for Title I-C for migrant education
- $890 million Title III-A for English-learner services
The White House Office of Management and Budget said the move was part of
an ongoing review
of education funding and no decisions have been made, according to national education news outlet Chalkbeat.
Federal funds are often the smallest chunk of school district revenue. Local property taxes and state funds are the largest.
Castleberry ISD relies on the funds to support after-school programs, Superintendent Renee Smith-Faulkner said. About $1.5 million in staffing and another $1 million in programming are at risk, she said.
“We have begun to make plans to move staff into vacant positions and temporarily fund key positions via local monies,” Smith-Faulkner said.
Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD has more than $1 million impacted that otherwise would have supported instruction, English language acquisition for students, student support, academic enrichment and migrant education.
The federal government has more than a year to make a decision on releasing the funds, chief financial officer Robb Welch said. Between that and plans already in full motion for the 2025-26 school year, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD will still serve its students — with or without the feds.
Without the money, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD plans to add the costs to its general fund budget. The district has a deficit budget that administrators attribute to the Texas Legislature not increasing state funds in tandem with inflation, Welch said.
“A $1 million cut at the federal level will have a domino effect somewhere in the overall budget, as priorities continually adjust to match available funding and its spending limitations and could result in EMS ISD not being able to continue popular extracurricular programs like the World Language Academy or the STEM Summer Camps,” Welch said.
White Settlement ISD is hoping to know the fate of its $395,107 sooner rather than later, spokesperson Desiree Coyle said.
“In the short term, we don’t have planned expenditures from these funds until October, so we are optimistic that a decision will be made by then,” she said.
About $930,000 in federal funds are affected in Northwest ISD. District leaders are reviewing potential impacts to staffing and programs for the 2025-26 school year, spokesperson Anthony Tosie said.
“While no immediate positions or services have been cut, this delay creates significant uncertainty,” he said. “In the short term, we are prioritizing essential services and evaluating ways to temporarily absorb or defer costs until more information is available.”
Northwest ISD leaders are exploring all options, including legislative and legal avenues, as they watch developments and talk to education associations, Tosie said.
Already, 24 states and Washington, D.C.,
filed a federal lawsuit
to restore the education funding.
Jacob Sanchez is a senior education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at
or
@_jacob_sanchez
.
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at
or
@matthewsgroi1
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