As the Trump administration seeks to dismantle the Education Department and threatens to withhold federal funding from public schools, the upheaval has raised an unnerving question for many American families: Will the turmoil reach my child’s classroom?
The White House last week threatened to deny Title I funding for students from low-income families — the biggest source of federal funding for elementary and secondary schools — unless state education leaders verify that they have eliminated all programs that the administration argues unfairly promote diversity, equity and inclusion. About two-thirds of the nation’s public schools receive those dollars.
But some Democratic leaders, including in New York and Chicago, are already resisting the administration’s demands, setting the stage for court fights if funding is cut.
The effects could vary greatly between rural and urban districts and from state to state because of major disparities in spending on education at the state level.
Still, New York City, which has the nation’s largest public school system, serves as one valuable case study — a sprawling district with some wealthy families and hundreds of thousands of low-income families. More than 20 percent of students have disabilities, and nearly 150,000 are learning English as a new language.
Here’s what to know:
Will my child suffer if the U.S. Education Department is shuttered?
Similar to households in many school districts, children and families in New York may not feel significant effects in the final two months of this school year as President Trump moves to shut down the Education Department, which requires congressional approval.
The agency does not control big education issues such as reading assignments, textbook choices, teacher salaries or suspension policies. It does not dictate admissions to programs for gifted and talented students or the selection of school principals. States and local school districts make those decisions.
The federal agency’s main role is distributing money to college students through grants and loans. But it also sends out several types of funding for public schools, including money for students with disabilities provided through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Federal officials have sought to tap other agencies to administer funding for college loans, special education and other programs.
Still, as the Trump administration threatens to pull Title I funding over D.E.I. programs, many districts face uncertainty. Schools might rely on those dollars for after-school initiatives, counselors, social workers or other support for children.
Are school programs at risk of cuts over D.E.I.?
The Trump administration has not offered details on what types of programs it might target.
The White House is investigating Ithaca Public Schools in upstate New York for hosting conferences for students of color, some of which may not have been open to white students. Initiatives such as a Black studies curriculum in New York City, a Chicago program aimed at boosting Black student outcomes or a similar effort in Denver to improve achievement among Latino children could also prompt scrutiny.
The brunt of any crackdown might center on school districts in blue states such as New York, where education leaders warned the Trump administration on Friday that they would not comply with its D.E.I. order. Any pullback of Title I dollars would probably trigger court battles; experts question the legality of the government’s broad rationale for threatening to slash funding.
Overall, federal dollars — including Title I funding and other programs — account for only about 8 percent of public school funding nationwide. But the numbers vary widely from place to place. In New York City and in Loudoun County, Va., an affluent suburban district outside Washington, federal dollars make up a smaller portion of overall funding: about 5 percent.
The strain could be felt far more acutely elsewhere. In both Philadelphia and Shelby County, Tenn., which includes Memphis, more than 23 percent of school funding came from the federal government in 2022, according to the Pew Research Center. (The figure included federal pandemic relief dollars.)
In Detroit, federal funding represents about a third of the public school budget this year, according to the superintendent, Nikolai Vitti. He said in a recent radio interview that the stakes were higher in his district than in many others because of a weak local tax base and a huge population of children living in poverty.
Dr. Vitti said that while the district does not “really feel the day-to-day impact” from the U.S. Department of Education’s internal operations, the loss of federal funding could “have an impact on all of our schools and all of our children.”
What comes next for districts after the D.E.I. order?
The Trump administration on April 3 gave state and local school officials 10 days to sign and return a certification letter meant to confirm compliance with the D.E.I. directive. At least one state, New York, refused to do so, noting that it already follows all federal anti-discrimination laws.
It is unclear how the federal government might respond.
Will mass federal layoffs affect classrooms?
The Education Department’s work force is about half the size it was on Jan. 19. Mass layoffs gutted units that focus on education research, data collection and civil rights investigations. The entire investigative staffs of several regional branches of the Office for Civil Rights were eliminated, including in Boston, Cleveland and Dallas.
Thousands of pending cases, including hundreds in the New York region, are in limbo. Most involve students with disabilities, including investigations into complaints about unequal treatment, exclusionary admissions practices or instances in which children were restrained or secluded from their classmates.
Many districts, though, do not expect to be affected significantly by the federal staffing cuts. Still, Emma Vadehra, the chief operating officer of New York City’s public school system, acknowledged last month that “we don’t know yet what the impact will be.”
“But we are watching,” Ms. Vadehra said.
What about school meals?
One of the most significant ways that federal funding touches the lives of students is through school meals. Some cities, including New York City and Rochester, N.Y., have universal free meal programs, but many districts rely on federal dollars to provide breakfast and lunch to children from low-income families.
These programs have not faced major cuts.
Still, the Trump administration eliminated an Agriculture Department initiative last month that helped schools buy fruits, vegetables and other products from local suppliers. In New York City, that program makes up a tiny portion of overall school meal funding from Washington: roughly $8 million out of $545 million total.
In Illinois, where $26 million from the program went to more than 5,200 schools and child care centers, the state superintendent, Dr. Tony Sanders, said that districts were losing money that was essential to providing students with “nutritious meals that fuel learning and growth.”
Troy Closson is a Times education reporter focusing on K-12 schools.
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