Why This Matters Right Now

• The Trump Administration attempted to withhold nearly $7B in K-12 funding in July 2025.

• The House Appropriations Committee advanced a bill in September 2025 to cut the U.S. Dept. of Ed budget by 15%, including a 26% cut to Title I funding for low-income schools.

Federal budget cuts directly harm public schools nationwide:

• Faced with a $30M deficit, the school board in Bridgeport, CT approved cuts that would eliminate all district librarians, 20 teacher jobs, bus transportation for about 2,400 students, and more.

• In San Antonio (Judson ISD), Texas, officials approved cuts like eliminating3-year-old pre-K programs, athletic programs, and several staff positions due to a nearly $46M deficit.

• In Kentucky, Federal budget cuts will strip away $359 per student from high-poverty school districts – nearly 3 times the impact on wealthier districts.

• During the 2024-2025 school year alone, there were 6,870 instances of book bans across 23 states and 87 public school districts. This is the highest in US history.
  

• Many bills have been introduced in multiple states to restrict teaching about race, gender, LGBTQ+ identity, and U.S. history.
  

• The ACLU sued Wentzville R-IV School District in Missouri after officials removed library books by and about people of color and LGBTQ+ authors.
  

• In Oklahoma, HB 1775 restricts classroom discussions on race and gender, leading teachers and students to report self-censorship and a chilling effect on learning.

• Schools across the U.S. have blocked access to LGBTQ+ support websites, prompting lawsuits over unconstitutional internet filtering that violates students’ rights.
  

• Reports from FIRE (2020–2024) document 1,014 cases where students faced punishment for speech that is legally protected under the First Amendment.