A federal professional development funding stream for educators is still caught in the policy crosscurrents, pushing districts to plan for possible delays or cuts. In Vermont’s Slate Valley Unified, Superintendent Brooke Olsen-Farrell said she built the 2026–27 budget assuming Title II-A money would not arrive, including instructional coaching contracts tied to the grant. The uncertainty followed the Trump administration delaying nearly $7 billion in education funds, and a proposed budget that would eliminate Title II-A and many other education grant programs. District leaders described the practical budgeting risk: professional development is often ongoing, not optional, and local districts lack reserve funds when federal dollars slip. After the withheld funds were released last summer and Congress passed a 2026–27 budget maintaining professional development funding at $2.2 billion, Slate Valley moved forward by extending coaching positions through next year. The episode underscores how federal budget timing affects year-to-year capacity for in-school improvement.