The Trump administration released a proposed FY26 budget on Friday, giving us headlines about a multibillion dollar cut from K-12 education. FY26 for the federal government starts in October; this is funding for the 2026-27 school year, largely.
As K-12 Dive outlines:
Among the cuts:
All $70 million for Teacher Quality Partnerships grant, often used to diversify the teacher workforce.
All $7 million for Equity Assistance Centers, established as part of desegregation efforts.
All $890 million for English Language Acquisition.
A $49 million, or 35%, reduction for the Office for Civil Rights.
At the same time, Trump’s budget would boost funding for charter schools by $60 million.
Chalkbeat also has:
It calls for holding funding steady for Title I, an $18 billion program that supports schools serving students from low-income households, and for the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act, or IDEA, which provides $14 billion to offset a portion of special education costs. These are prominent and popular programs that Education Secretary Linda McMahon has promised would not be cut.
For perspective, I always recommend reading AASA on federal finance:
In recent years, presidential budgets have been released and then largely disregarded as the House and Senate introduced their own respective budget proposals with little reference or deference to the president’s. We will wait to see the extent to which the current Republican House and Senate budget proposals—and appropriations processes—are aligned with the president’s proposal.
Should you contact your federal legislators? Yes, certainly. Be sure they know how you use federal funds. As AASA notes, though, the president's proposal more starts the process than anything, so don't panic yet.
And keep reminding yourself: this is for the school year AFTER next.
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