The Donald Trump Administration recently cut the Department of Education’s budget by 50% because Trump wants to reduce federal spending, promote state control over education, and streamline government operations.
How does this steep budget cut affect RMHS?
No one is sure quite yet since the Reading Administration has heard nothing yet from the federal government about changes. Luckily, Reading is in a great financial position and only receives a couple million dollars out of the 60 million dollars Reading uses for schools.
These couple million dollars our town receives from the federal government go towards two main programs: IDEA and Title 1 funding. The IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) is a federal law that helps children with disabilities get a free and substantial public education, including special education services, tailored to their needs. The goal of Title 1 funding is to close the achievement gap between low-income and higher-income students by providing services and resources for kids who can’t afford them.
“At this point, we don’t have anything to believe that we are actually losing any funding. I feel like we are in a really good financial position as a local district,” Dr. Milaschewski, the Superintendent of RPS, shared.
There is also a division the Department of Education controls called the Office of Civil Rights. It’s their job to both enforce and hold districts accountable in anything around discrimination as well. Right now, parents can file an OCR complaint to be able to look into any discrimination-based claim for their child against the district. “Without that enforcement mechanism,” Dr. Milaschewski said, “we don’t know what that will look like.”
But there is no need for any worry yet. “I can say, we feel really confident that all of our teaching positions, counseling positions, and admin positions are all secure, and we’re in a good financial position, despite the noise that’s happening,” Dr. Milaschewski assured.
As a state, Massachusetts receives more than $2 billion a year to fund programs for students with disabilities and those in low-income communities. They ensure all students have equal access to public and higher education. According to WCVB, “Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has warned that dissolving the department would set back schools, students, and families across the state.”
Nothing is certain about what the next steps are for Massachusetts school systems and what the future holds for the Department of Education.
