In Philly, and across the country, educators sound the alarm about how possible federal cuts would hurt kids
Federal money makes up more than $500 million of the Philadelphia School District’s budget. Title I funding for schools in impoverished areas pays for the salaries of 1,450 teachers.
Shortly after her confirmation by the U.S. Senate this week, new Education Secretary Linda McMahon outlined a charge to her employees in an email: a “final mission” for the department amid President Donald Trump’s call to shutter it.
Against that backdrop, educators, students, and their supporters gathered across Pennsylvania — and the U.S. — Tuesday to draw attention to the impact of potential federal funding cuts on students and other vulnerable groups.
Pennsylvania public schools receive $752 million for Title I schools, which educate kids living in economically disadvantaged homes. The federal government pays Pennsylvania $560 million in special education aid, $71.6 million for career and technical education, $68 billion in student loans, and $850 million in Pell grants.
In Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers coordinated actions at 120 schools, from distributing leaflets before and after school to a news conference at Widener Memorial School, the state’s only public school for children with disabilities.
“This is not a drill,” said LeShawna Coleman, PFT chief of staff.
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Federal money makes up more than $500 million of the Philadelphia School District’s $4.5 billion annual budget. Title I funding for schools in impoverished areas pays for the salaries of 1,450 school system teachers alone.
Philadelphia schools, already underfunded by millions according to a 2023 landmark Commonwealth Court decision, cannot afford to lose any more funding, said City Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, chair of Council’s Education Committee.
“We’re in a crisis with public education,” Thomas said. “Our facilities deficit is so high that it is now bigger than the entire budget for the entire city of Philadelphia. The damage to our schools costs more than it costs for the entire city of Philadelphia to operate for a year.”
Councilmember Kendra Brooks, who was a public school advocate before she was a politician, said it was time to organize.
“We have these two billionaires, Elon Musk and Donald Trump. These men do not want public schools to exist. They’re determined to undermine the years of work that we put in,” Brooks said.
The attacks felt personal, said Paul Breen, a third-generation Philadelphia teacher who works at Widener Memorial. His students cheered when Breen stepped to the microphone in Widener’s auditorium.
“Government funding allows our Widener students to thrive,” Breen said. “It allows for small classes for special education students, modified curriculum, and related services such as speech and language, occupational, and physical therapies.”
Because every Widener student receives special education services, the school’s budget relies heavily on federal funds; any cuts to such funds would be devastating for the vulnerable population, officials said.
Taisha Cruz, an 11th grader, has attended Widener since she was a kindergartner. The school gives her so much, she said — not just academics, but also physical therapy, occupational therapy, and a sense of belonging.
“It gives us a sense of freedom,” Cruz said. “Hearing there’s a possibility that might be taken down is sad. I don’t want that.”
Elsewhere in the state, faculty at the universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education also participated in a day of rallying against Trump’s executive orders, with one of the largest gatherings at West Chester University.
Citing a “big attack all around on higher education,” Kenneth Mash, president of the Association of Pennsylvania State Colleges and Universities, the statewide faculty union, said: “It’s very serious.”
Mash, who appeared at West Chester’s rally, said faculty are concerned about the executive orders against diversity, equity, and inclusion and research funding cuts to the National Institutes of Health. At West Chester, in addition to the rally on the quad, faculty also held teach-ins during the day, addressing Trump’s executive orders and their impact on colleges.