How a federal funding freeze will impact Pueblo after-school programs

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) - President Donald Trump's administration is pausing over $6 billion of congressionally-appropriated federal funding for after-school, student support, teacher training, English language and other education programs, according to a Department of Education memo obtained by ABC News.

According to ABC News, the memo reads in part, "The department will not be issuing grant award notifications obligating funds for these programs on July 1 prior to completing that review. The department remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the president's priorities and the department's statutory responsibilities."

KRDO13 spoke with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Pueblo County (BGCPC) to see how this freeze could impact them.

The Vice President of Resource Development, Kendra Turner, says the withholding of funds directly impacts the BGCPC this budget year. Turner shared that the funds were supposed to be released on July 1st. BGCPC tells KRDO13 they found out they would not get those dollars on June 30.

She tells KRDO13 that "For now, we're running all of our federally-funded sites normally, but we will have to make adjustments to our hours and services at the start of school in August IF the funds are not released by then. This may include limiting full-day Friday services to just a few of our sites, and closing other sites on Fridays when school is out. No final decisions have been made."

From now until December, Turner says they have been asked to reduce the grant spending by 60%, as the state only has enough federal funds on hand to reimburse them at 40% of the originally approved budget. That totals a $269,097 loss through December and another $269,097 in January through the end of June, explained Turner.

She says they have not had any official communication on the status of the funds.

"If the traditionally bipartisan 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) funding is eliminated from the federal budget, our organization, which currently has awards for six of these sites, would lose about $962,000 per year," wrote Turner.

The Vice President of Resource Development explained that they have sites that are on different timelines (cohorts IX through XI) that have anywhere from one to four more years of funding that was awarded by the Department of Education and now may not be disbursed.

She says this funding provides services for 832 Pueblo youth, specifically in the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, at no cost to families, which is especially helpful for working parents.

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers were created to provide students and their families with high-quality academic enrichment opportunities and services. The centers serve students—in particular, those who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools—and provide academic and enrichment
services during non-school hours, according to the Colorado Department of Education. If you'd like to learn more about 21st CCLC, you can do so here.

Turner tells KRDO13 that six of their nine Clubs rely on this funding. Though it doesn't cover all the costs to operate, it does represent the majority of funding, explained Turner.

"This funding is irreplaceable and crucial to supporting families, increasing academic performance and attendance of our county's students, and keeping kids safe and out of trouble when they aren't at school. Considering our students' performance, chronic absenteeism and the increase in juvenile crime severity, this is not good for our community. It's important to know this funding supports more than 24 positions that put money into Pueblo's economy."

- Kendra Turner, Vice President of Resource Development at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Pueblo County

They say the Clubhouses are open after school Monday through Thursday, all day on Fridays, since the school districts run a four-day week, and all day Monday through Friday during school breaks, including summer.

"Parents, families and the community can rest assured that our summer program will go uninterrupted. If these funds continue to not be allocated, we will have to make some decisions about how we might need to cut back on services. One strategy might be reducing services on Fridays. And we know that here in Pueblo County, with our school districts on a four-day week, that service is integral," explained Becky Medina, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Pueblo County Chief Operations Officer.

Becky Medina started at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Pueblo County as a volunteer 30 years ago. Now she's calling on others to help out and do the same.

"We've really been moving with an advocacy campaign to get the word out to the community to be able to contact their legislators and let them know how important this funding is to Pueblo County and Pueblo County kids and families. We also want to get the word out that there are other ways that our community can help support our program. And our community's kids by getting involved, volunteering, like I started, 30 years ago. They can also make donations to Boys and Girls Clubs, whether monthly or a one time gift, every dollar counts and can help support this most vital programing," explained Medina.