PROVINCETOWN — Although the federal government’s move to cut funding for public education across the nation has put some financial support for Outer Cape schools on hold, local school leaders say most of what they’ve been counting on — which comes in the form of Title I-A grants — is on the way.
Together, the Provincetown, Truro, and Nauset school districts are slated to receive more than $200,000 in Title I-A grants for this year. These grants help cover academic enrichment programs for children from low-income families.
Local schools are primarily funded through local taxes along with some state subsidies; Title I-A grants are the schools’ largest source of federal aid.
In fiscal 2025, the Nauset Regional School District received $189,527 in Title I-A aid, with that amount making up over 31 percent of its total federal support. The Provincetown Schools got $64,730, over 41 percent of its total federal funding, and the Truro Central School District received $29,975, or 34 percent of the total aid.
Paul Teixeira, who took over as Provincetown school superintendent on July 1, said the Title I-A allocations were “consistent with the previous year’s amount,” although he said, “they haven’t gone up — which they typically do — it seems like they’re going to be level-funded.” The funds appear to be on track to arrive in time for the start of the new school year.
What’s on Hold
But not everything is smooth sailing, Teixeira said. Two other kinds of grants, Title II-A and IV-A, though modest, represent funds the district was counting on, and both are among the five federal K-12 education programs currently frozen by the Trump administration, and include more than $108 million earmarked for Massachusetts schools.
During the pause, the White House is said to be reviewing whether the programs “align with the president’s priorities,” according to an email from the Dept. of Education sent to officials in every state.
The now-frozen Title II-A grants are used for training sessions that help teachers improve their instructional strategies and better meet the diverse academic needs of their students. The Title IV-A grants, also under review, fund mental health counseling, after-school arts programs, and classroom technology that supports personalized learning.
The Provincetown Schools and Truro Central School each received $14,000 in Title II-A and IV-A grants for fiscal 2025, which represents less than 15 percent of their total federal funding.
The Nauset Public Schools received significantly more Title II-A and IV-A money: $40,000 in fiscal 2025. But that number amounts to less than 7 percent of the district’s $601,549 in total federal aid.
In Provincetown, Supt. Teixeira has begun to explore next steps should the pause and review lead to cuts. On July 18, he said, he met with Elizabeth Francis, the International Baccalaureate Schools’ principal, and Tessa Bry-Taylor, the district’s grant manager, to discuss possible uses of remaining funds from past grants.
He added that they would refrain from making any final decisions until they had more clarity from the government. “We’ll have to assess once the federal Dept. of Education decides what they’re doing,” said Teixeira.
Bry-Taylor told the Independent she thought it was important to create contingency plans now. “We’re playing a numbers game to just look and see where we might be able to cover some of the expenses we typically take out of those grants, should they not come through,” she said.
Officials in the Nauset and Truro districts are also acutely aware of the potential cuts, but both have opted to delay any planning or action until they receive more information.
“There’s nothing settled,” said Nauset Regional School Committee member Chris Easley, “but it’s kind of threatening.” If grant funding remains tied up, he said, “students are going to suffer.”
Truro Supt. Stephanie Costigan said she is also waiting to implement any contingency planning until she knows more about cuts. “We are waiting to hear from the federal government, so we do not have any alternative plans,” she said.
If it becomes clear federal aid will not arrive, Costigan said, the school would seek other funding, including by applying for more private grants.
Promises and Threats
The grant reviews have sparked outrage across the country. “Our schools were promised this funding, and the Trump administration needs to deliver it,” wrote Mass. Gov. Maura Healey the day after the federal government announced the grant review. “Without this funding, districts are going to be forced to lay off staff, delay or cancel programs and services, and disrupt learning.”
And on Monday, Massachusetts was one of more than 20 states that sued the administration over its billion-dollar freeze. The lawsuit alleges that the hold is unconstitutional and would disproportionately harm low-income families who rely on after-school programs that cannot continue without the federal funds.
Educators are wary of the funding review, seeing it as a harbinger of challenges ahead, because in June, the Trump administration suggested cutting more than $4 billion from a wide range of K-12 programs that support teacher training, literacy practice, and help for at-risk students.
Hours after the states sued over grant funding, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration could lay off thousands of workers in the federal Education Dept. and continue other efforts to dissolve the agency — another blow to school districts and state officials fighting to preserve federal support for education.
