Trump 2.0: How Will Proposed FY26 Budget Cuts Affect Your School District? 

Education Law Center and New York University’s Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools released a new advocacy tool focused on the Trump Administration’s proposed funding cuts to K-12 schools in the FY 2026 federal budget. Using data from the Census Survey of School System Finances (F33), the interactive tool provides an estimate of how much federal funding every school district in the nation could lose if the president’s proposals are enacted.  

The Trump Administration is proposing a total of $12 billion in cuts to public education in FY26, spanning preschool to higher education and including research and data collection. The proposal eliminates funding for many school district operated programs that support the nation’s most vulnerable students, including services for students learning English and migrant students, full-service community schools that provide social supports and health care for families, and programs to improve college access for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. In total, the eliminated K-12 programs would result in $3.8 billion less in federal funding. 

The Trump Administration’s budget also proposes consolidating 18 separate programs into a “K-12 Simplified Funding Program” that would be administered through a block grant, providing states extreme flexibility in how funds are distributed and spent and potentially allowing the money to stray from these programs’ goals and intended recipients. The targeted programs currently provide funding for afterschool and summer programs, arts and technology classes, emergency preparedness, mental health services, and programs to improve teacher effectiveness, among others. In total, these 18 programs represented $6.5 billion in federal funding in FY24. The proposal for FY26 would cut funding by $4.5 billion, a 70% reduction.   

The advocacy tool provides estimates for a school district’s combined loss of revenue resulting from the proposed consolidation and the elimination of programs. The methodology used to calculate these estimates can be viewed here.   

“These estimates illustrate just how significant and widespread the proposed cuts are,” said Danielle Farrie, ELC Research Director. “It will be nearly impossible for states and school districts to maintain these important programs and services without this federal support.” 

“When the Trump Administration tried to freeze funding for crucial public school programs in the current fiscal year, political pressure put an end to that,” said Rhea Almeida, Research Manager, NYU Metro Center. “Communities and advocates must again stand up to the administration’s continued threats to public school funding for the coming school year, and this tool helps raise awareness of what’s at stake.” 

View the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools “Stop the Cuts” media toolkit here. For additional tools to support advocates committed to protecting federal funding for public schools, visit the interactive tools page on ELC’s website. 

Related Stories: 

TRUMP 2.0: HOW MUCH FEDERAL EDUCATION AID DOES YOUR SCHOOL OR CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT RECEIVE? 

TRUMP 2.0: HOW MUCH FEDERAL EDUCATION AID COULD YOUR STATE LOSE? 

PUTTING A PRICE TAG ON UNIVERSAL SCHOOL VOUCHER PROGRAMS 

RESISTING TRUMP’S ASSAULT ON STUDENTS AND SCHOOLS: HOW ELC IS FIGHTING BACK 

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