Kansas education officials and Topeka's congressman are attempting to get back $22.6 million in federal funding that was cut by President Donald Trump's administration.

Kansas State Department of Education staff told the Kansas State Board of Education on April 8 they have already submitted a request to the U.S. Department of Education. The move came after the state agency announced April 3 that it was informed March 28 that the federal department was taking away $22.6 million in COVID-19 aid .

"The Reader's Digest version of this is, as you all know, the federal government provided millions of dollars to help offset the learning loss that occurred as a result of the pandemic," said R. Scott Gordon, the KSDE general counsel. "They gave us millions of dollars to spend. They gave us a certain amount of time to spend it. Everyone asked for additional time, including Kansas, to spend this money, because it was so successful. They'd already approved the money, we just wanted more time to spend it.

"The U.S. Department of Education granted that extra amount of time, and they granted it, I understand, for every state. And then about a month ago, the U.S. Department of Education said: Just kidding. You should have spent all of your money by now. We changed our mind. And if you haven't spent your money by March 28, then you don't get to spend it anymore. And they sent us that notification on March 28."

The notification came from U.S. education secretary Linda McMahon, whose letter to Kansas and other states said the extension had been "reconsidered" and described it as a "modification to the time period" to use the funds.

The letter blamed states for not using the funding sooner. McMahon told state education chiefs they "have had ample time" to use the money and that by extending the grant periods, "You ran the risk that the Department would deny your extension request." She also told states, "You could not rely on the Department adhering to its original decision."

"Extending deadlines for COVID-related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department's priorities and thus not a worthwhile exercise of its discretion," McMahon wrote.

Gordon said the state has already submitted a request for a new extension, and the federal government has indicated it "would potentially change their mind a fourth time and allow us to have that extra time that they'd already previously approved."

Education commissioner Randy Watson said the state received notice April 8 that the federal government had received the state's application and would review it.

"I wanted to say thank you, because literally tens of dozens of our staff put everything on hold to try to get that done in a timely manner," Watson said.

Without the funding, certain programs will be halted, he said.

After the state announced that it lost the federal funding, U.S. Rep. Derek Schmidt, R-Kansas, said he wants the funding restored.

"Unlike other states that used federal COVID-19 funding for other purposes, our Kansas State Department of Education was successfully using this money for its intended purpose of helping our kids catch up from lost learning caused by pandemic lockdowns and school closings," Schmidt's office said in an April 5 Facebook post . "Congressman Schmidt has asked the U.S. Department of Education to restore this promised funding to ensure Kansas students have the resources they need to succeed."

Kansas Democratic lawmakers were critical of Republicans and the funding cut at an April 9 news conference.

"This funding was the lifeline for catching our students up, teaching them to read and helping them regain the ground that they lost during the pandemic," said Rep. Nikki McDonald, D-Olathe. "But now, effective immediately, those funds have been pulled. Yet another promise to our children has been broken. It's just the latest instance of dishonoring commitments made to our children."

Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for The Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd .