Marin educators this week called the Trump administration’s withholding of $42 million earmarked for county programs part of a pattern of attacks on public institutions nationwide.

“We know if we let this go without a fight, we can expect increasingly outrageous actions in the future,” county schools Superintendent John Carroll said.

His comments supported action this week by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who joined leaders from 23 other states and the District of Columbia in suing the federal government for the release of more than $6 billion in federal education funding that they say never arrived.The $6 billion includes $939 million for California, of which $42 million was for local programs.

The suit argues that President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon violated the U.S. Constitution and federal statutes when they withheld the funding.

“Our response to this relatively small attack will have an influence on what Trump’s education department will try to pull next,” Carroll said. “California schools are left in holding patterns and the state cannot provide definitive guidance on how to proceed with programming that depends on those funding streams.”

Carroll said that although the federal administration gave no explanation for withholding the funds, “I think the reason for that is obvious: Trump’s education department is again trying to disrupt the work of public schools as part of a larger effort to erode confidence in institutions.”

In Marin, the $42 million in federal funds covers such programs as special education, childhood nutrition, free and reduced-cost lunches and academic support for foster or homeless youth, English learners and students of lower socioeconomic status, according to Breean Brown, an assistant superintendent in the Marin County Office of Education.

Also included is funding for professional development programs for teachers and administrators, Brown said.

“The amount that has been frozen is relatively small for Marin County,” Carroll said. “But not having that funding available on its normal, predictable schedule creates extra work for schools and is likely to have a negative impact on students and staff, especially in our larger districts.”

California state Superintendent Tony Thurmond said the state was notified on June 30, a day before the funds were to be disbursed on July 1, that no money would be released. The notification said the funding applications were still being reviewed.

“The president is completely disregarding the democratic process by impounding dollars already budgeted, rather than trying to make his case for cuts to elected representatives sent to Congress by the American people to make these decisions,” Thurmond said

“In the notification we received, the Trump Administration provides no legal justification for withholding these dollars from our students,” Thurmond stated. “The administration is punishing children for the sole reason that states refuse to cater to Trump’s political ideology,”

“Every child will feel the impact of this disruption delivered shortly before the start of the school year,” Thurmond said. “That’s when our students, educators and families should be anticipating the year ahead and making plans to support our children’s learning and growth.”

Carroll also reacted Tuesday to a separate action this week by the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the Trump administration to begin dismantling the U.S. Department of Education by laying off 1,400 of its employees. California and 19 other states had sued to prevent that, arguing that the layoffs would effectively gut the agency.

Carroll said the unsigned opinion by the Supreme Court was not the final word on the fate of federal education department. However, it will — at least temporarily — allow the firings to go on while the litigation is continuing, he said.

“It’s hard to say what the impact will be,” he said. “It depends on whether or not there’s enough staff in the department of education to continue the bare bones essential work that we expect from them.”

It will “definitely prevent the department from doing the work it normally does,” Carroll said. “Also, it will create a certain amount of anxiety and chaos, and a lot of worry about whether or not the department is going to continue to exist.”

Since taking office, Trump has moved to downsize the U.S. Department of Education. The agency’s top officials were also considering withholding federal funding to California schools over the state’s policies on transgender athletes, McMahon said last month.

In a separate pending lawsuit, California and other states sued the Trump administration in April over threats to cut funding unless states eliminated DEI initiatives in schools.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.