The U.S. Department of Education is freezing some federal grant money that was expected to be distributed to public school districts across the country, including in Maine, starting Tuesday.

The federal agency told states it was still reviewing grant funding because of a commitment to “ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President’s priorities and the Department’s statutory responsibilities.” Nationwide, the Trump administration said that it is withholding $6 billion in previously approved grant money.

Maine typically receives about $91 million in federal Title education funds, and nearly $26 million has been frozen.

Across the state, school superintendents and officials say the delay is frustrating. They fear that if federal funds are cut, the burden for bridging that budget gap will fall on local property taxpayers.

The Maine Department of Education sent a priority notice Friday, alerting school districts and notifying them the delay may last until September.

“As a friendly reminder, school administrative units may not begin to obligate funding for these programs until grant allocations have been finalized by the U.S. Department of Education,” the notice from the Maine Department of Education said.

The education grants, called Title funds, are directly funneled from the federal government to the Maine Department of Education. The funds are divided into five categories and the goal of the funds is to provide supplementary grant money to underfunded areas of education. The amount of money awarded to each district is determined by a formula that can change on a yearly basis.

Title I, Part C funds migrant education programs, while Title IV, Part B funds programs related to academic enrichment, particularly for low-performing schools. The state receives about $906,000 for Title 1, Part C and $6.5 million for Title IV, Part B, confirmed Chloe Teboe, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Education.

Most school districts across Maine receive money from Title II, which supports teacher and principal training, and about a dozen get funding through Title III, which funds language instruction for English learners and immigrant students. During the most recent fiscal year, Maine school districts received more than $10 million through Title II, and $1 million from Title III.

The Maine Department of Education did not immediately return requests for comment Tuesday, but Teboe later confirmed a second priority notice went out to school officials Tuesday evening, stating the department found that Title IV, Part A funds, about $6.7 million designated for student support and academic enrichment, are also affected. The notice warned schools again not to designate areas for the funding until the U.S. Department of Education has finalized the grant allocations.

“The Maine DOE has contacted Maine’s congressional delegation to notify them of the impacts of this potential loss of federal funding and to urge them to request that allocations be released,” Teboe said in a statement Tuesday night.

Jon Moody, superintendent of Skowhegan-area Maine School Administrative District 54, said he does not know the extent of the funding freeze, but he is trying to figure it out. MSAD 54 received $170,765 this fiscal year for Title II.

“Federal dollars support our most needy learners — they are the programs we leverage to help those in poverty, our special education students, after school and summer programming,” Moody said. “Considering the fact that the federal government spends less than 2% of its annual spending on public education, it is incredibly frustrating for the government to create this kind of uncertainty for our public schools and the children and families they serve.”

Last year, the Biddeford School Department received $187,000 through Title II and $35,000 from Title III. Superintendent Jeremy Ray said the full impact of the delay is not yet clear. Title II funds some teaching positions, he said, and depending on how long the money is delayed, the district will need to cut back on some professional development to preserve teachers.

“We are not in a position where we can have fewer teachers,” Ray said. “Our kids need the assistance.”

But he’s not concerned about federal funding in the longer term. He believes it’s in the best interest of elected officials to support federal funding for essential school programs, because the alternative is unpopular.

“If funds are cut at the federal level, there’s only one place for that to go: local property taxes,” he said.

Jake Langlais, superintendent of Lewiston Public Schools, said he’s watching the funding delay with attention. “The funds in a holding pattern under review by the federal Department of Education and in legislation represents approximately $1.15 million for Lewiston alone,” he said.

In addition to the delayed Title funds, Langlais said he’s also concerned about other federal funding sources that are not yet guaranteed, like federal reimbursements for high-need student services and school nutrition.

“As a federally reimbursed nutrition program we do not have a local budget for serving food at school,” he said. “If those reimbursements are compromised it would mean a full disruption to nutrition programming as we know it.”

Meagan White, director of teaching and learning at the Winthrop Public Schools, said the district received a little more than $45,000 in Title II funds last year. The district uses the money to fund a learning lab for students who need extra help with their studies but aren’t quite at the level of being a part of the special education program. The lab is 98% funded by title funds, White said.

“These are federal funds that directly impact schools,” she said. “I am hopeful that we get this money soon because it creates a lot of unease.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with information provided after the story was published.