Connecticut is one of 24 states, along with Washington D.C., to sue the federal government over previously approved education funding.
Several state officials including Attorney General William Tong, Gov. Ned Lamont and education advocates say the funding pause puts after school programs, staffing initiatives and assistance for English language learners, among others, at risk.
Tong said in a press conference on Monday, Connecticut could lose out on $53 million if the funds are not released and programs benefiting children are already being impacted.
“There are summer camps right now that are in the process of being defunded and school districts' administrators, boards of education, teachers are now looking down the barrel of an unprecedented, draconian, catastrophic cut to funding,” Tong said.
The lawsuit is the latest in a series of state lawsuits this year over federal withholding of funds. The federal government’s withholding of education funds, announced earlier this year, impacts more than $6 billion.
Education advocates such as Kate Dias, the president of the Connecticut Education Association, the largest teacher’s union in the state, said the effects could be far reaching.
She mentioned many students who benefit from these programs are vulnerable, who struggle with mental health issues, are learning English, and have few resources to pursue those aid programs independently.
The result, if the state doesn’t get the money, is the programs will have to be cut back, and Dias said those children will suffer the most.
“Make no mistake, the people who have the means will ensure their children have the services that they can get,” Dias said. "So we will become a pay to play society if this continues.”
School districts such as Bridgeport are particularly vulnerable to these funding freezes, per previous reporting from Connecticut Public. Bridgeport in particular has been forced to adopt a budget lower than previously proposed, before the withholding was announced.
But while advocates previously criticized the cuts for their outsized impacts to children, State Rep. Jennifer Leeper a Democrat who represents Fairfield, also criticized the cuts and characterized them as an ominous step towards forcing states such as Connecticut to submit to the federal government.
“This is just, I fear, the tip of the iceberg,” Leeper said. “There are a lot more dollars that are part of the titled programs, and I suspect this is a test case for the administration to see how far can they push and punish."
