Prime Highlights
- The Trump administration froze $6.8 billion nationwide in education funding, including $7 million for Wisconsin adult education programs.
- Wisconsin is one of 24 states to have sued, calling the freeze on funding unconstitutional and harmful to vital learning programs.
Key Facts
- Over 17,000 Wisconsin adults rely on federal funding to be taught literacy, to prepare for their GED, and learn English.
- The funds were withheld on June 30, one day before new fiscal year appropriations would be enacted.
Key Background
Wisconsin adult education programs, including literacy and English as a second language, are now under the threat of the federal grants’ freeze. Most of these students, like Madison’s Literacy Network, rely on these grants to enhance their English language skills, receive higher education, and get further job opportunities. The Transitions program, which is one of the foundational programs, is supported by a four-year $72,000 federal grant and takes more advanced English learners in career and academic directions.
The freeze will affect approximately 34,000 adult learners in the 16 state technical colleges and community partners, with roughly half directly relying on the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act. Without funding, some programs will be cut or terminated, and thousands will lose access to vital educational services.
Wisconsin is confronting a rising shortage of workforce today, and adult education programs are necessary to bridge skills gaps. Already, the programs have assisted more than 2,700 learners to gain high school equivalency credentials and 2,500 students transition into college or the labor force during the last year. Any interruption of funding would cut economic opportunity for learners and damage the state’s labor force development.
Wisconsin has joined a class of states suing the Trump administration over the freeze on funding, blaming the move as illegal under federal laws on spending like the Antideficiency and Impoundment Control Acts. State officials state that unless resolved immediately, scheduled classes, staffing, and materials will be compromised, affecting thousands of adult learners throughout the state.
