Teachers rally to protest federal cuts to public education

By Sheri Williams

Faced with devastating cuts to education and the dismantling of the federal Department of Education, teachers in Sacramento and across California rallied in May to protest and protect vital services for children.

Nikki Davis Milevsky, president of Sacramento City Teachers Association, said, “We are standing up for students against potentially devastating cuts coming out of Washington D.C.”

Thousands of educators, parents, union members, politicians and others came together in Sacramento on May 17 to support funding for schools during a statewide action organized by the California Teachers Association.

“The Trump administration has proposed a ‘skinny’ education budget that would take billions of dollars away from our schools,” CTA warned in a statement. “Programs such as special education, English learner supports and the federal food program are especially at high risk.”

Sacramento city schools alone are at risk of losing $67 million in federal funding. Those cuts in Sacramento and across California would hit vulnerable students the most, the union said.

Taylor Kayatta, member of the Sacramento Board of Education who also has two children in local public schools, said, “Although there are many cuts that worry me … The potential cuts that worry me most are the potential cuts to special education. These are the kids who need help the most, and in fact we should be increasing funds for these kids, not cutting it. We’ve come too far to start going backwards.”

Kaylatta and others warned that special education programs could be decimated, and programs that support immigrant and non-English learners would also be on the chopping block.

“If this proposal is approved, it will cause a devastating ripple effect through our schools and communities. School boards will be forced to make dramatic changes in order to make up for the loss of funding,” the union said. “That is why everyone needs to stand together today and make our voices heard.”

In addition, those at the rally pointed out the cuts and changes to the federal Department of Education are already impacting local schools. President Donald Trump in March signed an executive order eliminating the Department of Education. That order led to almost 2,000 federal workers being laid off. Without that necessary federal workforce, programs including the administration of student loans and complaints about discrimination are at a near standstill. In addition, many federal grants have been frozen or cancelled, leaving state and local programs with no funding.

Trump’s order to close the U.S. Department of Education was stopped by a court injunction after a lawsuit filed in Massachusetts by multiple school districts. The legal fight is continuing, but local and state authorities are bracing for the worst. The crisis comes as California is working on its own budget, facing a serious deficit.

“We need to say loud and clear as a community, as Sacramento, as California, hands off our public education,” said state Assemblymember Maggy Krell, one of the speakers at the Sacramento rally.