Trump 2.0: How Much Federal Education Aid Could Your State Lose?
The second Trump administration has wasted no time working to undermine, attack and dismantle public education. Whether through executive orders or longer-term legislative strategies that follow the Project 2025 playbook, the nation’s Preschool-12 programs supported by federal revenue are at risk of cuts or even elimination.
In order for advocates to fight back, we must know what’s at stake. Today, Education Law Center is unveiling an advocacy tool that allows users to estimate potential federal revenue losses in states.
Focusing on the formula grant programs that deliver the bulk of federal funding to public schools, the interactive tool allows users to estimate revenue losses at the state level. To contextualize these losses, the tool also estimates the number of entry-level teaching positions that would be lost if existing state resources must be diverted to maintain programs currently supported with federal revenue.
After choosing a state and a particular federal funding stream, users will find answers to crucial questions like these:
- How much funding would public schools in your state lose if Title I programs were cut by, for example, 20 percent? In California, that number is over $488 million dollars, or the equivalent of 8,322 entry-level teacher positions.
- If IDEA funds were repurposed to fund individual student vouchers, how much would each eligible student receive? Voucher amounts would range from a mere $2,689 in Hawaii to $1,562 in Pennsylvania.
- How much would your state lose if funding is eliminated for 21st Century Community Learning Centers, which provide academic enrichment opportunities for students outside traditional school hours? Over $35 million dollars, or the equivalent of 836 entry-level teacher positions, in North Carolina, as one example.
Though federal funds represent a small proportion of PK-12 revenue, these research-based and highly effective programs are essential to support the most vulnerable students.
“Threats by this administration – from massive funding reductions to specific program elimination, the diversion of public funding to private entities, and withholding funding from schools in the name of ‘ending radical indoctrination’ – have the potential to devastate public schools in every state,” said Danielle Farrie, ELC Research Director.
“We hope public school advocates will use this tool to draw attention to the very real fiscal consequences of the Trump administration’s hostile policies and the negative impact they will have on students in every corner of this country,” said Robert Kim, ELC Executive Director. “Releasing the tool is just the beginning. We intend to continue to explore all legal and advocacy avenues to challenge the Trump administration’s disastrous policies.”
Check back for more advocacy tools as ELC works to support advocates committed to protecting federal funding for public schools.
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Press Contact:
Sharon Krengel
Director of Policy, Strategic Partnerships and Communications
skrengel@edlawcenter.org
973-624-1815, x240