KSDE watching federal dollars after COVID funding was discontinued by Trump Administration
ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
There has been much talk lately regarding the state of education and education funding, and the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) has been keeping track of all of that talk, according to Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson.
“We've been tracking everything since Trump came into office because of talks about what could happen with the U.S. Department of Education, etc. That all became heightened when we got word at the end of March about the ESSER funds – which were disbursed for COVID-19 relief and then extended through the spring of 2026 – being abruptly cut off,” Watson said. “That concerned us greatly because that money was going toward literacy training in Kansas. We started monitoring that situation very closely, and those funds were ultimately restored. Around that same time, with the Title programs, those were put on pause in early July and ultimately allowed to flow again. We've been tracking many situations for quite a while and now, I think we're in a good place, but it's definitely been a bit of a roller coaster.”
