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Federal funds for adult education services were among those blocked by the Trump administration on July 1, causing immediate cuts to Alaska adult education and workforce development programs and staff layoffs.

The U.S. Department of Education has more than $6 billion in congressionally approved grants for education, including over $629 million for adult education basic grants, and more than $85 million in adult integrated English literacy and civics education grants. The administration has said that it鈥檚 withholding the federal funding to review the grant programs to ensure they

Adult education can range from classes that help adults learn basic literacy to programs that assist students in gaining certificates equivalent to high school diplomas, and can teach skills that are essential to performing certain jobs.

Alaska had over $1.1 million as part of an adult education basic grant, according to the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, which administers the grants. A department spokesperson said on Tuesday the grant amounts for English literacy and civics education this year were not available, but the state received more than $99,600 last year.

The withheld funds means immediate cuts to services for Alaska adult learners and staff layoffs, according to grant recipients.

鈥淲e were definitely blindsided,鈥� said Lucie Magrath, executive director of the Literacy Council of Alaska, a Fairbanks-based nonprofit that provides adult education programs, including adult literacy, English language learning, civics and General Educational Development, or GED, preparation classes.

Magrath said an estimated $180,000 in federal funding, or over half of their budget, was impounded, causing immediate cuts to services and staff layoffs. While the organization did not identify the number of layoffs in an interview last week, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner that there were five layoffs.

鈥淪o we are having to make some pretty drastic decisions with staffing and programming,鈥� she said in a phone interview on Thursday. 鈥淲e likely will not be able to serve nearly as many people this year, and we鈥檙e making staffing cuts right now.鈥�

The organization provides in-person and virtual instruction and mentoring to adult learners in Fairbanks, as well as in villages in the Interior and Western Alaska, stretching from the Yukon Flats to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.

They also have a workforce development program, the Pathways Program, serving youths and young adults ages 16 to 24, and run the used bookstore in Fairbanks, which provides revenues for its programs, jobs training and employment.

Shelby Cooke is the assistant executive director of the Literacy Council of Alaska, and said it鈥檚 difficult to fill such a large funding gap, especially on such short notice, and Alaskans will be impacted.

鈥淭he real detriment is to our students and Alaskans who need that GED credential to go to work, or maybe they鈥檙e a super-skilled person in their native tongue, but they need enough English to be able to navigate a job interview,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hose are the folks that are suffering, and in turn, our economy suffers too.鈥�

Magrath said some programs will be suspended immediately. It鈥檚 possible that these suspensions will be temporary, as her organization figures out its next steps. 鈥淲e鈥檙e looking at restructuring some of our programs just to be able to use the resources that we have to the maximum impact for our community and our students,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o we have a lot to figure out right now.鈥�

Southeast Regional Resource Center, a nonprofit educational services agency that provides a variety of services statewide, including adult education, English language learning and workforce development programs. In addition, SERRC provides educational and business services to school districts, including special education programs, human resources and grant administration.

鈥淲e do have some state funds, and so we鈥檝e had to modify our budget just off what we know we have for funding 鈥� for state funds 鈥� and we are looking at having to reduce our staffing,鈥� said Chris Reitan, its executive director, in a phone interview Thursday. He said the organization is looking at cutting at least two staff positions and a few part-time positions. 鈥淪o we are concerned about the ability to have the same level of impact.鈥�

Reitan said the federal funding freeze withheld over $86,600 for adult education programs in Southeast Alaska, and over $64,000 in the Aleutians region.

He said SERRC鈥檚 program served 112 students last year in the areas of GED support, English language learning and workforce development across the state.

鈥淣umber one, adult education provides a kind of a lifeline for Alaskans seeking to improve their lives, and it also helps strengthen our state鈥檚 workforce,鈥� he said, and will have an immediate impact on adult learners, 鈥渨hich then could immediately impact their ability in regards to getting good-paying jobs, their ability to provide for their families, their ability to contribute to their local communities.鈥�

He added: 鈥淚 see this as being a significant impact across the state, in regards to our citizens being able to have the opportunity to better themselves.鈥�

SERRC and the Literacy Council of Alaska are two of across the state with grant funding administered by the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. A department spokesperson, Adam Weinert, said by email that the department has continued to award available state matching funds for the programs, totaling more than $1.9 million.

鈥淪ub-grantees were informed that we were moving forward at this time with state funding only,鈥澛� Weinert said of the programs. 鈥淥nce federal funding is released, we will move forward with a budget modification to provide for the federal funding.鈥�

The full impact of how the freeze will affect some programs in the long term remains unclear.

The University of Alaska system has several adult education programs, funded in part by federal funds, as well as state and local funding. Jonathan Taylor, the university鈥檚 director of communications, said by email Monday that 鈥渄iscussions are ongoing鈥� around funding but those programs are scheduled to continue.

Taylor said at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the program will start up in August with funding from Bristol Bay Economic Development Corp.

Within the University of Alaska Anchorage, there are adult education programs at , serving the Kodiak Island Borough; , serving the Soldotna, Homer and Seward regions; and , serving the Valdez, Cordova and Copper Basin regions.

鈥淲e have received assurances that all three will receive some sort of funding this year,鈥� Taylor said. 鈥淭o our knowledge, the state will initiate these awards using either state funding or federal funding it has access to. If additional Federal Funds become available, the state will amend the agreements to make up to the original intended funding amount. Currently, this is an active endeavor and ongoing discussion with the state.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alaska Beacon maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Andrew Kitchenman for questions: [email protected].

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