The Daily Item
October 12, 2024
As a parent of three children who have attended our local public schools and as a professor of education, I know that when public schools are healthy, entire communities thrive. Families are more likely to settle in towns with good schools, businesses are more willing to invest, and students graduate better prepared for success in life – whether they go directly into the workforce, attend college, or serve in the military.
That is why I am deeply alarmed by the proposal to slash federal funding to local schools, as outlined in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. Many people don’t realize that while most education funding comes from local property taxes and from the state, we also receive a substantial amount of money for our schools from the federal government. Losing this support could drastically reduce the quality of our children’s education or force steep increases in local taxes.
Project 2025 calls for abolishing the U.S. Department of Education, eliminating Title I funding for public schools, and eliminating Head Start for the young children of low-income families. A study by the Brooking Institution found that “schools in Republican-leaning areas could be hit the hardest by major cuts or changes to Title I.” The cuts proposed in Project 2025 could mean millions of dollars less in federal funding for schools in our area. For instance, the Milton Area School District would lose nearly $1 million dollars in federal support for education.
According to the nonprofit Education Voters of Pennsylvania, it would take $4.5 billion to meet the constitutional requirement laid out in the Commonwealth Court ruling to provide ALL students with access to a comprehensive, effective, and contemporary system of public education. If we allow a future presidential administration to implement deep cuts to our local schools, an entire generation of Pennsylvania students, including our own children, could grow up without the quality education they need to succeed in today’s world.
Before we elect a candidate who will implement Project 2025, we need to read the fine print. Donald Trump’s blueprint for a possible second term calls for slashing federal support for education. The future of our children and our communities depends on strong public schools.
We should oppose any candidate who would dismantle federal support for education.
Sue Ellen Feuerstein
Lewisburg, PA
Project 2025 and education: A lot of bad ideas – Brookings Institution
How Project 2025 could radically reshape higher ed – Inside Higher Education
The good, the bad, and the ugly in the 2024-2025 state budget – Education Voters PA
A CNN review found at least 140 people who worked for Donald Trump are involved in Project
2025
What to know about Trump’s ties to Project 2025’s close allies as he denies link to it – NBC
News