Keeping an eye on federal grants

 DESE sent this update out late last week:

DESE has received some additional projected figures from the federal government that have allowed us to refine the Title I projections we shared last month; we’re also able to anticipate statewide totals from other major ESSA programs (Title II-A, Title III-A, and Title IV-A), as well as from Perkins. Again, these numbers are still preliminary. DESE receives final awards from the federal government on July 1st. 

Title I – Updated figures from the federal government show that MA will experience about a 7% reduction overall, not a 10% reduction overall as we projected last month. DESE has revised the FY27 Title I Warning Chart accordingly. These district-level projections are likely more accurate than last month’s projections, but it bears repeating that they are subject to change. Districts will receive final numbers in July. 

Title II-A – Similar to Title I, preliminary figures from the federal government show that MA overall will likely experience about a 7% overall reduction from last year. We do not have district-level projections for Title II-A, which could vary greatly, so we encourage districts to budget conservatively. 

Title III-A – Preliminary figures from the federal government show that MA overall will likely be level-funded for Title III-A. DESE will provide district-level projections for Title III-A in several weeks when we issue the Title III-A Intent to Participate application in GEM$. Until then, we encourage districts to budget conservatively. 

Title IV – Preliminary figures from the federal government show that MA overall will likely see about a 6% increase in Title IV-A. We do not have district-level projections for Title IV-A, which could vary greatly, so we encourage districts to budget conservatively. 

Perkins – Preliminary figures from the federal government show that MA overall will likely be level-funded for Perkins. 

Board of Ed for February: early literacy

 Kershaw opens (which is interesting, because of course she's early ed!)
PRISM grants, Literacy Launch, high dosage tutoring
"struggling to see improvement statewide"
grade 3 "dropped during the pandemic years and has not yet bounced back"
"there's been lots of legislative interest"

Board of Ed for February: opening comments

 The agenda is here. The livestream is here. The meeting is fully remote.

tree in my backyard
why they are fully remote

Today will be (I believe) the sole appearance of  Amy Kershaw, as Acting Secretary of Education, as Steve Zrike will have started before their March meeting. 

we have a federal budget

 And when it comes to education funding, well, I'll let Mark Lieberman of EdWeek take this: 

You can read Mark's coverage (which I recommend) here. The highlight: 

Ultimately, Congress comprehensively rejected the Trump administration’s proposals to slash billions of dollars from federal education investments. Schools nationwide can expect roughly similar year-over-year funding levels this fall for key programs like Title I for students from low-income households, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for special education services, Title II for professional development, and Title III for English learners.

The final legislation doesn’t require the Trump administration to halt efforts to shift Education Department programs to other agencies, and it doesn’t explicitly prohibit the administration from taking further steps to diminish the Cabinet-level agency.

It does, however, include requirements for the department to consult more closely with Congress on the status of its efforts to shift responsibilities to other agencies. It also includes nearly $400 million for Education Department staff compensation, only slightly less than for the previous fiscal year despite recent staff reductions that have nearly cut the agency’s ranks in half.

The legislation also supplies funding for several smaller agencies the Trump administration had already moved unilaterally to defund, including AmeriCorps and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Remember, we're now talking about next school year's funding: 

Most education funding is forward-funded, which means allocations for the current fiscal year will hit schools in the upcoming school year. Typically, formula funds for schools start flowing to states in July. Grant program competitions can happen throughout the year.

Do remember that both how much goes to each state and how much then goes to each district has to be recalculated each year based on the factors in the formula for each grant, so how much your district gets may not be the same as last year. But we aren't seeing the deep cuts that Trump campaigned on and continued to promise once elected.

They aren't popular. 

federal funding waiver doesn't live up to the hype

 I entirely understand how it is that people might have missed this, but if you do pay attention to school funding, you may have caught U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon touting "returning education to the states" through approval of a waiver for Iowa for combining federal funding, in essence, block granting their funding. As the Department's release says: 

Today, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) approved Iowa’s Returning Education to the States Waiver, empowering state education officials to have more discretion over their federal education dollars. Iowa is the first state to apply for and receive such a waiver, which will allow state leaders to focus federal dollars on work that best improves the achievement of Iowa students.

Iowa’s waiver permits the state education agency to combine four federal funding streams into one. Iowa leaders seek to focus more federal resources on improving student achievement rather than federal compliance. This waiver’s flexibility will reduce compliance costs, allowing nearly $8 million to be redirected from bureaucratic red tape to the classroom over four years. State education leaders will use the redirected funds and the greater flexibility they afford to expand support for evidence-based literacy training, strengthening their teacher pipeline, and narrowing achievement gaps.

If you know anything of how much federal funding flows to states, you may have had that *record scratch* sound in your head when you to the bit about "nearly $8 million" up here. 

Excellent work from Mark Lieberman over at EdWeek gives a more clear eyed assessment on this one: 

 ...in contrast with proposals the state put forward roughly a year ago, the new federal approval touches only 5% of Iowa’s overall allocation of federal education funds, the part that’s set aside for the state education agency. The bulk of federal dollars that flow to school districts each year—$900 million worth—will retain their current structure and spending and reporting requirements.

This announcement could signal an acknowledgment from the department that its legal authority to flatten discrete funding programs and implement unrestricted block grants without congressional approval is limited, said Anne Hyslop, the director of policy development for the nonprofit advocacy group All4Ed, and a former senior policy adviser at the Education Department who helped implement the Every Student Succeeds Act.

It also foreshadows an uphill battle for other states aiming to convert federal education funding to block grants, including Indiana, which submitted a request for that flexibility, along with relief from certain school accountability requirements, in October.

I realize that it isn't going to surprise anyone that the Trump administration is being less than forthcoming on what they're actually doing, but it's always worth calling these out. 

A few notes on federal grants

I've been in a couple of sessions recently on federal grants (most recently DESE did one this morning), so providing a few highlights:

• Always remember that federal education grants are almost all what's called 'forward funded' meaning that we have the current fiscal year's funding already. 
• Thus discussions of the FY26 federal budget--which is what the shutdown happened around--are funding that are/will largely impact our NEXT fiscal year at the state and district level, FY27, and thus NEXT school year.
• There are BIG differences among White House/House/Senate's bills, with the Senate being the one that essentially level funds and has the least changes. As the Senate can only act on a bipartisan basis, there's some thinking that the Senate's option is the one that will win out.
• The Senate bill also included language that required that funding to states go out as soon as it was available--none of this wanting to recheck stuff that hung up grants this fall!--but it's anybody's guess as to if that stays in.
• The continuing resolution to fund the government expires January 30, 2026, so expect us to get countdown clocks again soon.
  
•  The CR passed reverses the reductions in force RIFs initiated just after the shutdown began and prohibits the Administration from initiating any new RIFs through January 30, 2026, when the CR expires.
• One piece of good news: Because the CR funds full year appropriations for, among others, USDA, the continuing resolution that passed fully funds school nutrition through September 30, 2026, so that isn't iffy around government shutdowns.

Probable federal government shutdown at midnight

 And while we've been over this a few times, here's Politico on what this means for education. The two big PreK-12 hits are Head Start (in some cases) and federal funding in areas with non-taxed federal land. Again, remember, most of our federal grants are forward funded.

Politico also shared the official "here's what happens in a shutdown" document filed by Secretary McMahon. Page 1 has the number of employees expected to have to continue to work should the federal government shutdown at midnight tonight.

Quick note on federal funding

First, while we should be attentive to the "House GOP eyes 27% cut to Title I" headline, what do we know about how the federal budget process works? There are many steps! And don't forget where the Senate (also with a GOP majority) went on this one: 

In July, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bipartisan bill that would fund the Education Department at $79 billion in FY 26, a slight increase to current spending. 

As I posted then:

 Money has impact on real people.  

Keep telling your stories to those who make decisions. It makes a difference.

On Gene Haas and his "donation"

 

Well, look at that: it appears that the bidding on the ongoing effort by Gene Haas to improve his Google results is now up to $500K!

As the T&G is linking to a paywalled New York Times report on Haas' 2008 conviction of felony conspiracy to commit tax evasion, for which he served two years in federal prison and paid a $5M fine on top of paying $70M in restitution, let me help you out with a gift link. The T&G itself wrote about this at the time of the initial grant. You can also read about that initial discussion, in which the students played a big role, here. 

Sometimes the Friday news drop is good

 I was away last week, so this is coming Monday morning, when you have no doubt already heard: the federal grants that should have come through for the start of the fiscal year on July 1 are being released today. Below is the email that went out on Friday at 2:41 PM: 

On the state FY26 budget

This is of course and as always coming from me who posts on here as me  

First off, cheers to the Boston Globe (yes, you did read that right!*) for this piece which interviews a lot of the right people, who point to many of the important things on this state budget and education! Huzzah! 

The Department of Revenue did issue FINAL (because the budget is signed) cherry sheets for FY26 at the end of last week, and DESE has similarly issued FINAL chapter 70 and net school spending information. Remember, the only way that any of this is changing at this point is if the Legislature decides to overrule vetoes. If you hear anything on that one, let me know.

Let's turn then to the budget we just got. 

So about that impounded federal funding

 The Office of Management and Budget, to which the Department of Education is directing all inquiries, were asked about the freeze on current year federal grant funds and they have quite an answer:

“Initial findings show that many of these grants programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical left-wing agenda,” the spokesman said in statement to RealClearPolitics.

Asked for specifics, OMB officials said it had found an example in New York in which public schools had used funds designated for English-language learning to promote “illegal immigrant advocacy organizations.” The agency, which oversees federal spending, also said funds had used the grants to steer illegal immigrants towards “scholarships intended for American students.” In an unspecified case, the school improvement funds were allegedly used for a seminar on “queer resistance in the arts.”

The AP also has picked this up. 

The Commissioner on the federal grants (and two notes from me)

The (new) Commissioner of Education sent out an update on federal grants to districts today, which I am quoting here in full (followed by two notes from me):

Happy fiscal new year! Trump has impounded billions in federal grants for this year

Happy fiscal new year! FY26 officially begins today for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, for Mass school districts, and for our towns and cities!

This also means we have lots of people starting new positions today: new superintendent contracts generally begin July 1, and our new Massachusetts Commissioner of Education Pedro Martinez is starting today, as well. 

But it wouldn't be the Trump administration if we weren't also starting the new year with bad news, and so it is today: that concern I noted last week over federal grants for the fiscal year we start today has come to pass, and it is even worse than forecast. 

Trump's budget proposal: weigh in but don't panic

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. 

 

January Board of Ed: vision

 high dosage tutoring in early literacy
this was much more lengthy but we also were getting updated information on federal funding, so I tuned out for parts of it

5 providers in 46 districts
16,958 student seats (which may have been more than one student)

statistically significant gains in 2023-24

MBAE now testifying about the Ignite (they're a vendor) online tutoring through the One8 grant

and there was a video of that tutoring

There is a lot of data being shared here on slides with teeny text

attendance matters; closes literacy gaps more effectively
I also just want to note that the text in all of these slides is way too small

Chelsea and Walpole testifying about their experiences

One8 person: "we were skeptical...the last thing we want to do is put more kids in front of a computer"
"if schools are on green rated science of reading curriculum because you're wasting your money if schools aren't on green rated science of reading curriculum"
"the results are astounding"

Hills asks about scaling up; staffing 
put aside money to "continue the data runs"

Moriarty argues "there is a model here" for the long haul
"this is expensive"
"this expenditure represents a percentage point or two" but seems to represent
encourage school committees "to adopt this cost on a long term"
"it should be as much embedded in a school district's budget as a football team"
districts having the slightest idea of what local school districts are actually struggling with for budgets for starters might be useful 

and now on literacy launch

And about those federal grants

Speaking of information Worcester is sharing neatly, if you look at the FY25 first quarter report, the federal grants have come through, and so there is this:

That, plus the accompanying narrative of course, gives some idea of what Worcester (second largest district in Massachusetts, about 25,000 students) gets from the federal government, though do remember it does not include school nutrition--free lunch is entirely federally funded in Worcester and like districts!-- which is another $17M for FY25.

So, figure $44M for Worcester, now that we're back to an average year.

And Worcester folks? Do take a look at that first quarter report while you're over there. My eyebrows went up. That's...an uncommon report. 

"But can he...?": Looking ahead at a second Trump administration

image of a card at Target
It simply reads "ugh"

This post is based on the following principles:

1. Despair, psychologically, makes us powerless. If we view something as impossible, we teach ourselves not to act. Things are not a given; all changes require actual action from many people. We cannot give up in advance. 
   I'm not going to do that.
   
   
2. Donald Trump is many things, and among them is erratic (which only increased during this past campaign) and lazy. We do not yet know who in his circle will have actual power, but we do know from last time that people tend not to keep it long.
   
   
3. We live under a federal system, and changing that would require changing the U.S. Constitution. Education is a power largely left to the states.
   
   
4. Most of the power of the federal government under this system of government--which, again, cannot be changed without Constitutional change, which is beyond the power of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches even together!--is coercive; that is, they cannot force states and educational agencies to behave particular ways, but they can offer inducements to act in that fashion. 
   
   
5. Schools are greatly impacted, always, by the reality that surrounds them. If you are as old as me, you may remember the old ad for the Yellow Pages: "If it's out there, it's in here." That is also true of schools.
   
   
6. Our charge in public education remains to create and sustain a system that nurtures every student as and who they are. We aren't giving up on anyone, anywhere. 

With me so far? 
I also, as always, speak only for me, and I speak only from what I know. I don't have a crystal ball, but here's the thing: neither does anyone else. 

Onward. 

What you can do on the Worcester Public Schools budget

By now, if you are the family of a Worcester Public Schools student or a staff member, you will have read the letter sent from Dr. Monárrez earlier this week regarding the FY25 budget and had a bit of a chance for it to sink in. If you haven't read it, I include the letter in full below at the end. 

You may also well have seen headlines from all over the state about school budgets facing real hardships this year.

Let's first note that it is not new information that the Worcester Public Schools are facing a budget gap. As noted in the links in the superintendent's letter (blogged about here), the district has noted the $22M budget gap since the release of the Governor's budget. We knew of the issue with the inflation budget as far back as the fall. 

There is a danger we run into this time of year, of the relative scope of the budget and budget issues being difficult to grasp. This isn't true exclusively of Worcester, but it is as true of Worcester as elsewhere. While, as noted, the gap is 4.4% of the WPS operating budget, that is a significant amount of money. 

This raises two related issues:

Quick note on Worcester School Committee meetings this week

 There are actually three!

• on Wednesday at 5, there's a Teaching, Learning, and Student Success meeting; the agenda isn't up yet, but expect that today now posted: preK, gifted programming, and the "modern classroom" project
  
  
  
• on Thursday, there's the regular meeting of the full Committee (exec at 5; public session thereafter). The report of the Superintendent is on future ready learning, which you might remember is a part of the Vision of a Learner adopted last year. 
  Without going into a lot of detail, note that Biancheria's student safety center item was held from the last meeting. There's a public petition (though without the petition itself, so we don't know who from) on installing electric charging meters for the public in the Forest Grove parking lot (the petition language says "free of charge" though the backup does not, nor does it mention the cost of electricity). The student advisory has submitted an item on staff mental health support. There are a number of grants for approval: homeless student supports, two on supporting community childcare, Perkins (which is voke money) for software management and a robot,  and a history field trip. 
  There's a request for an easement for Verizon at Doherty.
  Biancheria wants a report on therapy dogs, and one on homeschooling.
  Guardiola wants a report "on school meals and nutrition including current vendors used by the Worcester Public Schools."
  The administration is sharing the city's annual other post-employment benefits (OPEB) report.
  And on the agenda for approval ahead of the April deadline is the district's three year Student Opportunity Act plan.
  FWIW, I won't be at this, as I have a meeting to present at that evening.
  
  
• There's also a legislative breakfast--you might remember this being proposed in February by Member McCullough on Friday morning at Worcester Tech (and yes, that's a posted meeting); no agenda posted as yet.