Federal Title grants briefly withheld, then restored after lawsuit, district says

Anchorage School District officials told the board Aug. 5 that several federal Title grants were temporarily withheld in July but were released after the district joined a lawsuit and the Department of Education restored funding. Superintendent Dr. Bryant listed the affected streams as Title I‑C (migrant education), Title II‑A (supporting effective instruction), Title III‑A (language instruction for English learners), Title IV‑A (student support and academic enrichment) and Title IV‑B (21st Century Community Learning Centers). Staff said July 18 funds for Title IV‑B were released first (about $2 million of the total), and that after the district participated in a lawsuit on July 21 the remaining withheld funds were released later that week. Why it matters: District leaders said the withheld funds affected services the district had begun to cut or pause; the restoration allowed the district to resume and reimagine some services ahead of the school year. Officials cautioned that the federal budget cycle in September could change federal grant levels and the district will monitor that process. District staff said the withheld Title streams together represented roughly $14 million in funding streams; the initial July 18 release was a partial restoration of roughly $2 million, and the remainder was released after the July 21 legal action. Officials said they are watching the September federal budget cycle for further adjustments. Ending: Board members asked for clarification that staff who had received layoff notices were recalled; district staff said those employees returned to their prior positions and recalled five ACE positions that had been in layoff status.