National education leaders, Illinois Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski and educators from East St. Louis School District 189 held a town hall on Thursday to rally in support of protecting public schools.
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and National Education Association President Becky Pringle slammed the Trump administration’s decision to withhold the last of pandemic-era federal funding to states.
The stop in East St. Louis was the first of a series of community town halls organized by the Public Education Alliance, a collaboration with the NEA and AFT, which are the two largest teacher unions in the country.
Pringle described the moves by the Trump administration as an existential threat to public education.
“They know that public education is the foundation to this and any democracy,” Pringle said. “If they can control what we know, they can control what we believe.”
Budzinski, D-Springfield, drew attention to the $19 million in federal funding that East St. Louis School District 189 has been waiting on to finish up repairs to heating and cooling systems across the district.
“It is not fair, it is not right, and it is illegal,” Budzinski said to a room full of cheering teachers and school staff.
In March, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon notified states that the agency would no longer reimburse them with the remaining pandemic-era funding for public schools.
According to the Illinois State Board of Education, that meant the state would lose access to over $77 million in federal funds that were intended to pay out contracts, orders and payroll for 27 school districts.
In May, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction that blocked the administration from withholding the federal funds. The district still hasn’t received the money and said that if it doesn’t, it could lead to staffing and program cuts.
Federal and state funding is critical for districts like the one in East St. Louis, said Sydney Stigge-Kaufman, executive director of communications for the district.
The state and federal money make up about 90% of the district’s overall budget, since there is not enough revenue generated by property taxes.
McMahon has maintained that funding for programs like Title I, which supports the nation’s poorest children, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act will remain in place even as the administration moves to dismantle the Education Department.
Barbara Outten, a teacher in the district, said she’s still worried about additional funding cuts to programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid, which many families in the district rely on.
“We have come a long way with our students here in East St Louis,” Outten said. “We've made tremendous growth at the school that I'm teaching and many others in the district, and we have put things in place to teach the whole child, not just reading and math, but take care of the whole child.”
