22 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 20-26, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com grants to businesses to help them fund training programs for their workers. The grants are made possible with federal Department of Labor funds ($7.1 million this fiscal year) passed to the state’s Employment Development Department, which administers the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funds. K-12 Education K-12 education in California is primarily funded with state and local funds, accounting for over 90 percent of funding. For the current school year, 2024-2025, about 6 percent of K-12 education funds come from the federal level, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office. But Monterey County is unique because of its demographics, where fewer than 10,000 of 75,393 students are white. The county has the largest migrant education program in the state, and a large portion of English language learners (25,461, or 34.9 percent; most are Spanish speakers). That means qualifying for more federal programs such as Title III (for English learners), with $175.3 million slated to come to 24 local school districts and Head Start this fiscal year. According to the Monterey County Office of Education, as of Feb. 7, they have received $53 million, and $122.3 million is still pending. MCOE Superintendent Deneen Guss says given the uncertain climate, she is not going to lay off workers, because it’s hard to anticipate which federal dollars will or will not keep flowing. “I’m going to roll the dice and not do it,” she says. Her biggest concern is about the future of the Migrant Education Program. “That’s the one I am worried about, because of the attack on DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] and on immigrants,” she says. “I am praying it isn’t going to be touched.” (There are 4,361 migrant students.) Other federally funded programs include special education for students with disabilities and child nutrition, which provides access to food and snacks during lunchtime. These programs have a big reach locally. According to Ed-Data, 75,393 students were enrolled in K-12 education in Monterey County during the 2023-2024 school year. Of those, 55,054 students, or 75.5 percent, qualified for free and reduced-price lunch (students in California have access to free meals regardless of their family income). Higher Education Local colleges rely on federal funding in two realms: grants or loans to support programs and services, and financial aid to students. At Hartnell Community College last year, those numbers were $9.5 million and $13.7 million, respectively. CSU Monterey Bay last year received $35.3 million for programs and student financial aid. Federal grant freezes are already impacting ongoing programs. The college proudly announced in 2024 that it had been awarded a five-year, $5.8 million federal Department of Education grant to support a teacher training initiative. Ninety-four students in the 18-monthlong program were set to receive a $40,000 stipend during their first year while doing student teaching and earning a teaching credential; they would then spend six months completing a master’s degree. Graduates must commit to working for at least three years at a partnering Salinas Valley school, helping resolve a teacher shortage. The federal government rescinded that grant funding, but CSUMB officials received notice on March 10 that a temporary restraining order issued by a federal judge in a case challenging the legality of funding freezes has been issued. “We are awaiting additional updates as the legal proceedings move forward,” according to a spokesperson. Senior Services Beyond Medicare, a variety of local programs aiding seniors are dependent upon federal dollars. For Meals on Wheels of the Salinas Valley, for example, funding from the Older Americans Act accounts for a third of the nonprofit’s annual budget, benefiting 250 homebound seniors. Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula received $1 million in federal funds in 2024. That money helped the nonprofit deliver 462,000 meals to homebound clients. They also provided communal meals at nine locations. Executive Director Christine Winge says when Trump tried to stop the flow of support during his first term, people were “up in arms” and he backed off. “That’s not to say we’re not scared,” she says of his second term. Funds are sent to the California Department of Aging, which distributes money to each county. From the county offices, it reaches programs like Meals on Wheels based upon the number of low-income residents served. For MoWSV, that figure was $600,000 last year. “We thought [2016] was the last time we’d have to address this,” says President and CEO Regina Gage. Smaller federal grants benefit a range of other nonprofits. For example, Alliance on Aging was awarded $16,000 to support tax counseling last year. The program, currently underway for the 2024 tax season, helps about 2,000 seniors file their taxes annually. “If that goes away, what are those 2,000 people going to do?” says Executive Director John McPherson. Arts and Culture There is limited reliance locally on federal funding for the arts; the National Endowment for the Arts gives about $2 million a year to the California Arts Council, funding that then trickles down to local organizations including the Arts Council for Monterey County. Monterey County Free Libraries last year received a federal grant of $10,000, but MCFL Director Hillary Theyer notes other ways that federal funding benefits the system indirectly, as Library Services and Technology Act funds grants to the California State Library, which then spends money on things that serve local library systems. Examples include the Palace e-book app, plus a training portal for public library staff. In addition, MCFL hosts Lunch at the Library enrichment programs in the summer; that program is funded with state monies, but the meals served are federally funded. Public Media While $250,000 represents just a tiny fraction of the local federal outlay numbers-wise, it is significant for one local broadcaster: KAZU (90.3 FM) gets about 10 percent of its annual revenue from a Corporation for Public Broadcasting grant. The CPB is funded by Congress in three-year intervals, but in the current climate that is no guarantee. “This year Congress will (or maybe not) appropriate the funding for 2027-2028,” according to Doug McKnight, the station’s interim general manager. “Congress can also impound the appropriations meaning the funding could stop next year.” “Federal funding is critical for implementing major regional infrastructure projects.”
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