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Catch Up on ELC Efforts in Support of Public Education 

When students learn in inclusive and well-resourced school environments, they thrive. But the Trump Administration’s attacks on public education put millions of students at risk. 

Education Law Center has been – and will continue to be – on the front lines defending the right of every child to a high-quality public education. But we can’t do it without you. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to support our work on behalf of students nationwide. 

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Below is a roundup of our recent work to defend public education. 

Federal Policy Advocacy  

ELC has been one of the leading national voices opposing efforts to dismantle federal education protections and expand private school vouchers: 

We submitted public comments urging the U.S. Department of Energy to immediately withdraw four new regulations aimed at gutting key civil rights protections under Title VI, Title IX, and Section 504. 

We also submitted public comments strongly opposing Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s  proposed priorities that seek to expand private school vouchers and undermine the U.S. Department of Education’s role in ensuring equal access to educational opportunity for all students. 

Through our national anti-voucher campaign, Public Funds Public Schools, we prepared and distributed a two-page advocacy tool and an FAQ about the harms of the new federal private education voucher program.  

New Advocacy Tools 

To help advocates understand the impact of federal education funding cuts, ELC created two interactive national funding tools: 

Trump 2.0: Proposed FY2026 Budget Cuts to K-12 Education allows users to examine how much their school district will lose if the Trump Administration’s proposed FY2026 budget cuts go into effect. These cuts would result in the loss of essential resources ranging from afterschool programs to arts and technology classes and crucial mental health services for students.  

Trump 2.0 Federal Revenue Tool: School and Congressional Districts uses the most recently released Census Survey of School System Finances reports for the 2022-23 school year to provide a clear picture of how threats to federal funding would affect public education in each school district or congressional district. The tool allows users to easily generate customized data for municipal or school district leaders as well as representatives in Congress. 

We also added important updates to the Public Funds Public Schools website, including summaries of dozens of additional studies on the Research page and updating the PFPS fact sheet, The Myths of Cost Savings From Private School Vouchers, with new research detailing the harmful impacts of voucher programs. 

In the Courts 

On behalf of the NAACP, public school parents, and other plaintiffs, ELC, in partnership with the National Education Association, Student Defense, and AFSCME Maryland Council 3, opposed attempts to dismiss NAACP v. USA, a case challenging the Trump Administration’s efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. 

On behalf of public school parents and community members in Tennessee, PFPS and co-counsel successfully defeated a motion to dismiss Bichell v. Lee, a case challenging the state’s 2019 voucher law. 

We also acted as amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) on briefs in important cases across the country: 

  • In AJT v. Osseo, ELC partnered with the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates and other disability advocacy organizations to file an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to protect students with disabilities from a uniquely stringent “bad faith or gross misjudgment” standard when seeking relief for disability-related discrimination. In a 9-0 decision, the Court overturned this harmful precedent. 
  • ELC, the National Center for Youth Law and other partners submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Jonathan R. v. Morrisey, a case addressing systemic remedies to redress constitutional and statutory violations involving youth in the foster care system.
  • ELC and the New York Civil Liberties Union filed an amicus brief in IntegrateNYC, Inc. v. State, urging New York’s Court of Appeals to permit the plaintiffs in a groundbreaking school segregation case to proceed to trial.  
  • PFPS and allies filed an amicus brief supporting plaintiffs challenging Montana’s unconstitutional voucher program for students with disabilities. 

Speaking Out and Informing the Public 

ELC Executive Director Bob Kim and ELC Board Chair Kevin Welner, Director of the National Education Policy Center (NEPC), discussed the dramatic shifts in K-12 federal education policy on the NEPC Talks Education podcast. 

Bob Kim also joined Carlotta Walls LaNier, the youngest of the courageous ‘Little Rock Nine’ who desegregated Little Rock Central High School in 1957, to discuss the arc of transformative moments across civil rights cases in education at the 2025 Smithsonian National Education Summit. 

ELC staff members have also been featured in numerous national news stories over the last several months, including: 

Webinars 

PFPS kicked off its 2025-2026 webinar series with Federal Vouchers, Funding Cuts, Firings: What You Need to Know About the Impact on Public Schools. Panelists discussed the Trump Administration’s recent actions and their implications for American public schools.  

ELC Executive Director Bob Kim joined Our Children/Our Schools on a virtual panel of New Jersey advocates to break down the federal assault on public education and how we can respond together. 

ELC also hosted a webinar, moderated by ELC Research Director Danielle Farrie, discussing the risks to English learners posed by the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education, and how advocates can use research-based evidence to defend and strengthen Title III and other critical supports for these students.  

We also hosted our 16th annual Education Justice lecture in June. The webinar featured former U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel A. Cardona and several ELC Board members whose remarks addressed the threats facing public education under the second Trump Administration and how to advance equal educational opportunity and racial justice for school children across the nation.  

Join Us in Defending Public Education! 

At a time when public education and civil rights face unprecedented threats, ELC’s advocacy on behalf of public schools and students is more crucial than ever. Donate Now to help us fight for public schools and the students and families who depend on them. 

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Stay Connected! Follow ELC and PFPS on Social Media  

Be sure to follow ELC and PFPS on our social media platforms to stay up to date on our advocacy work and future programming! 

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Press Contact:
Sharon Krengel
Director of Policy, Strategic Partnerships and Communications
skrengel@edlawcenter.org
973-624-1815, x240