What the Latest Education Budget Cuts Mean for Your Child
What the Latest Education Budget Cuts Mean for Your Child
By Megan Allen, Owner of The Community Classroom
As a parent, lifelong educator, and founder of The Community Classroom, I am alarmed—and frankly outraged—by the state of public education in our country. The recent actions by the powers-that-be aren’t just cold, bureaucratic decisions. They are direct attacks on our children’s futures, and they demand our attention. 
Here in Massachusetts, more than $106 million in federal education funding was ripped away with no notice. In Springfield alone, $47 million—money already committed to student support—was erased. This wasn’t theoretical funding; it was earmarked for mental health services, tutoring to support pandemic learning loss, school safety upgrades, and improving air quality in buildings. In other words, it was support for the real needs of real kids. And now? It’s gone.
Nationally, the Department of Education had its workforce slashed nearly half. That means fewer staff protecting student civil rights. Fewer experts ensuring students with disabilities get what they are legally entitled to. Fewer professionals safeguarding the very foundation of our public education system. And this is happening at a time when students are still struggling to recover from the devastating academic and emotional impacts of the pandemic.
As if that weren’t enough, the Trump Administration has issued a chilling new directive: States must now certify that none of their schools engage in any diversity, equity, or inclusion (DEI) practices that could be interpreted as giving advantage based on race or identity—or risk losing federal funding altogether. Let me be blunt—this is not about fairness. This is a threat, plain and simple. It’s a political move that puts power over people and ideology over children. It’s just plain gross.
House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy) said it beautifully: “The Trump administration pretends to champion education by claiming it wants to empower states, but in reality, it is actively sabotaging states’ ability to support our most vulnerable students. Canceling funds that schools have already built into their budgets is reckless, and shows a blatant disregard for the needs of our students and schools.”
As a parent. I want my daughter in a school that values inclusion, equity, and representation—that sees and supports every child, not just some. These new policies are not just steps backward. They are dangerous leaps backwards toward a system that silences difference and punishes those who dare to build a better, more just world for our kids.
When funding is cut like this, it is always the students who need support the most who suffer first and hardest—students with learning differences, students in under-resourced schools, students still learning to believe in themselves. And yes, I think about my own child, too. She is growing up in this world. And she—and all of our children—deserve so much more than this. Come on, grownups. Let’s do better.
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Well said!
Hi Megan-while these cuts are alarming, the 47 million cut to Springfield Public Schools was earmarked for capital improvements and thankfully won’t impact student support.
https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hampden-county/how-springfield-public-schools-is-handling-the-loss-of-40m-in-federal-cuts/amp/
Silver lining for Springfield, I guess. I hope the same is true in other districts, though it doesn’t seem like that’s the case from the Mass.gov article.
This is heart breaking and sad to hear as being a single Mom struggling with getting my daughter the help is already difficult as they label her with ADD.Because she cant meet a staff expectation do to her disability of ADHD.She learns slow then most students and because shes not on meds and im choosing to help her cope naturally.We get targeted.Every IEP meeting is so awful and intimidating from some staff.
My heart goes to all children.
I’m so sorry to hear of your experience, Johanna. Is there anything we can do to help or support you?