Viera, FL – July 17, 2025 — Brevard Public Schools is preparing to open classrooms this fall without more than $7.7 million in expected federal education funding — and local families should know exactly why: the Trump administration is holding the money, and Florida’s U.S. Senators haven’t said a word.
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While ten Republican senators from other states are actively calling on President Trump to release the frozen funds, Florida’s Rick Scott and Ashley Moody have done nothing — despite the fact that Florida is among the top four hardest-hit states, with nearly $400 million being withheld statewide.
Dr. Rendell, the superintendent, states that the news about the federal government “was withholding some block grants or federal funds for different programs” caused them to be “scrambling trying to put together a tentative budget for next year.”
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How Much Brevard Is Missing
As of this month, at least $7.7 million in Brevard’s federal grant funding is being held by the Trump administration — and that figure may grow. Here’s what’s known so far:
Title II-A (Teacher Development): $2.4M + $525K roll-forward
Title III-A (English Learner Services): $467K + $245K roll-forward
Title IV-A (Academic Enrichment): $1.3M + $290K roll-forward
Title IV-B (Before/After School Programs): $1.6M
Adult Education (GED, Corrections, Civics): $897K
Title I-C (Migrant Education) and Title V (Rural Literacy): amounts not yet disclosed
That’s over $7.7 million confirmed, not including two entire programs for which amounts haven’t even been publicly disclosed yet.
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This money was already appropriated by Congress and scheduled for release on July 1, 2025 — but at the last minute, the U.S. Department of Education (under the Trump administration) announced a nationwide “review,” freezing $6.88 billion in K-12 funding. Florida districts are now stuck waiting for answers that haven’t come.
Other Republicans Are Speaking Out — Not Florida’s
Despite a group of 10 Republican senators, led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, urging the Trump administration to release $6.5 billion in congressionally approved education funding, Florida Senators Rick Scott and Ashley Moody did not sign the letter. This funding, approved in a March 2025 continuing resolution and critical for Brevard County’s schools, supports programs like Title II and Title IV, which face a 70% cut under proposed federal consolidation.
“The decision to withhold this funding is contrary to President Trump’s goal of returning K-12 education to the states,” the GOP senators wrote in a letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought obtained by ABC News.
“This funding goes directly to states and local school districts, where local leaders decide how this funding is spent, because as we know, local communities know how to best serve students and families,” the letter stated.
Both senators, voted for the funding’s approval but opted not to join the call for release, raising concerns among Brevard educators and parents. Moody’s alignment with Trump’s agenda, including support for reducing federal education oversight, may explain her stance, while Scott’s decision is particularly striking given his vote for the funding. The multi-million shortfall threatens high-poverty schools across the county.
“We want to see students in our states and across the country thrive, whether they are adult learners, students who speak English as a second language, or students who need after-school care so that their parents can work. We believe you share the same goal,” the senators’ letter stated. You can read the entire letter here.
Moody’s focus on school choice, as expressed in an April 15, 2025, tweet—“Student needs, not zip codes, should drive opportunities for student success. The Educational Choice for Children Act empowers parents by supporting scholarships across the country” —suggests a preference for alternative education funding models over traditional public school grants.
Federal Cuts Could Get Even Worse
On top of the current freeze, the Trump administration has proposed gutting the federal education budget next year — consolidating several critical programs into a single $2 billion “block grant,” down from a combined $6.5 billion today. That’s a 70% funding cut nationwide.
Programs targeted for consolidation or elimination include:
Title II-A (Teacher Support): $2.19B
Title IV-A/B (Enrichment & After-School): $2.7B
Title III-A (English Learners): Eliminated entirely — $890M gone
McKinney-Vento (Homeless Students), Rural Ed, State Assessments, and Literacy Support
While federal officials claim this change would “reduce administrative burden,” school districts like Brevard see it for what it is: a massive rollback of direct support for vulnerable student populations.
State-Level Delays Added to the Pressure
Florida’s state budget was delivered much later than usual this year, creating chaos for districts. Brevard still hasn’t received the “Fourth Calc” — the final state funding numbers that usually arrive in April.
Compounding the problem, a $47 million shortfall statewide for the 2024–25 school year was linked to 25,000 students being double-enrolled in Family Empowerment Scholarships (FES) and public schools — a tracking failure the state still hasn’t resolved.
BPS Is Being Forced to Plan for the Worst
With no clear answers from Tallahassee or Washington, Brevard is assuming none of the frozen federal money will arrive in time. The district held a work session on Tuesday to address the budget concerns. (School Board Member Matt Susin did not attend) BPS’s CFO Ms. Leinski vividly illustrates the situation: “I guess just imagine your your child got a amazing full paid scholarship to the college of their dreams and you’ve already gone to orientation… and the very day that school starts you find out that the scholarship is on hold what do you do and that’s kind of what we’re what’s happening to us now. These funds are on hold but there’s no guarantee that those funds are ever going to come.”
Here’s how the district is responding:
Using remaining FY22 roll-forward grant funds through a 12-month “no-cost extension”
Prioritizing classroom-based roles and redirecting general fund vacancies to cover critical needs
Delaying or cutting non-school-based positions through a district-wide “Workforce Optimization Review”
If the funds are released, they’ll only be used for one-time expenses to avoid building salaries into a budget that could collapse again next year
Even capital funds may be reallocated to pay allowable salaries just to keep things afloat.
Despite all this, Brevard earned an “A” district rating for the second year in a row — a testament to the educators holding it together under pressure. But there’s only so much local schools can do when both the state and federal governments pull the rug out from under them.
Looking Ahead
The tentative budget will be presented at the July 29 board meeting. The final vote is set for September. But the fact remains: more than $7.7 million in federal education funds are being held back from Brevard students — and Florida’s own senators are watching it happen.
When other Republicans are speaking out and demanding action from the Trump administration, the silence from Rick Scott and Ashley Moody is deafening.
