As the Trump administration seeks to dismantle the Education Department and threatens to withhold federal funding from public schools, the upheaval has raised an unnerving question for many American families: Will the turmoil reach my child’s classroom?
The White House last week threatened to deny Title I funding for students from low-income families — the biggest source of federal funding for elementary and secondary schools — unless state education leaders verify that they have eliminated all programs that the administration argues unfairly promote diversity, equity and inclusion. About two-thirds of the nation’s public schools receive those dollars.
But some Democratic leaders, including in New York and Chicago, are already resisting the administration’s demands, setting the stage for court fights if funding is cut.
The effects could vary greatly between rural and urban districts and from state to state because of major disparities in spending on education at the state level.
Still, New York City, which has the nation’s largest public school system, serves as one valuable case study — a sprawling district with some wealthy families and hundreds of thousands of low-income families. More than 20 percent of students have disabilities, and nearly 150,000 are learning English as a new language.
Here’s what to know:
Similar to households in many school districts, children and families in New York may not feel significant effects in the final two months of this school year as President Trump moves to shut down the Education Department, which requires congressional approval.
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