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Federal actions and a brief funding freeze raised concerns for Palm Beach County schools
Summary
Federal developments described by district lobbyists included a proposed closure of the U.S. Department of Education, a pause on DEI-related grants, and an interim hold on $31.4 million in federal funds for Palm Beach County that was later released after legal and political pressure.
Palm Beach County school officials told the Village of Royal Palm Beach advisory board that federal actions in 2025 created both short-term disruption and longer-term uncertainty for district programs.
"Shortly after he did that, we had executive orders that cut funds related to DEI initiatives," said Rita Solnit, the district's federal lobbyist, describing an administrative review that removed contracts and grants containing the words "diversity, equity, or inclusion" from funding lists. Solnit said the automatic matching of DEI language to many grant questionnaires led to broad cancellations, triggering litigation from multiple districts.
Solnit recounted a July hold on federal fund releases that temporarily withheld $31,400,000 allocated to Palm Beach County; she said bipartisan state pressure and lawsuits led to the funds' release by July 25. "By July 25, the money was released," Solnit said.
Solnit also described an executive order projected to close the U.S. Department of Education by 12/31/2026 and related plans to redistribute some federal education programs to other agencies (for example, IDEA funds to Health and Human Services). She warned that the president's proposed —skinny' budget for 2026—27 would make steep cuts and could threaten Title III (English language learners) and Title IV funding, though she said a continuing resolution was a likely short-term outcome.
Board members and attendees asked about timing and redistributions; Solnit said implementation plans were under development and that staff were advocating for sustained funding protections at the federal level.
The update was informational; no federal action was decided locally, but district staff urged continued advocacy and said they would report back as details evolve.
