Budget freeze could impact key educational programs, including migrant education.

While school districts are preparing for the upcoming school year, President Donald Trump’s administration froze $6.8 billion in federal funding for K-12 education. This hold could potentially hinder students’ success across the country since several key programs would be at risk, including migrant education, English Language Acquisition and after-school programs.

Alicia Fletcher, Alisal Union School District’s director of migrant education, says they are in limbo since there is plenty of talk but little official decision-making.

“We don’t have a preliminary education allocation at all,” for AUSD’s migrant education program, Fletcher says. “We don’t even know what offices still exist in the U.S. Department of Education.”

Monterey County has the largest Migrant Education Program in the state. During the 2023-2024 school year, 75,393 students enrolled in K-12 in the county; of them, 25,461, or 34.9 percent, were English learners and 4,361 were migrant students. According to the Monterey County Office of Education, there are about 10,000 migrant students in the county, ages 3 to 21.

In AUSD, about 25 percent, or 1,800 students, are migrant students. Students receive support to improve their math and English skills, referrals to local resources (medical, food, housing) and workshops for them and their families.

In May, the Trump administration’s budget proposal included eliminating English Language Acquisition ($890 million) and migrant education ($428 million). During the 2024-2025 school year, Monterey County received $20,356,459 for migrant education.

Ernesto Vela, MCOE’s assistant superintendent, says MEPs should be analyzed with a wider lens since it goes beyond academic results.

“One emphasis of the program is to break down any barrier that stands in the way between students and their academic success,” he says.

Vela was an English learner and migrant student in elementary and middle school, and was part of the migrant program. Going to college wasn’t on his radar until he visited Fresno State University during the MEP’s leadership camp.

“Going to a college campus and understanding that it was an opportunity for me – that, in essence, changed the entire trajectory of my life,” Vela says.

California has the largest population of English learners and students enrolled in the Migrant Education Program nationwide.

“The majority of our migrant students are American citizens and all children have the rights to a free education, a quality education,” Fletcher says.

She adds that the MEP is vital and it was implemented to aid students who were falling through the cracks.

“The achievement gap was off the charts,” she says. “They weren’t anywhere near to attaining any kind of academic standards or equal access to educational opportunities and resources.”