Latest news with #federalpolicies
Forbes
14-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Federal Actions Could Cost Harvard University $1 Billion Annually
Harvard University officials brace for more budget cuts as they announce that federal actions could ... More cost the university up to $1 billion annually. Harvard University officials warned the campus community on Monday that the combined impact of various federal policies and cutbacks could cost the institution as much as $1 billion annually. A 'Financial Stewardship Update' letter from Harvard President Alan M. Garber, Provost John F. Manning, Executive Vice President Meredith Weenick and Chief Financial Officer Ritu indicated that an updated budget plan for Fiscal Year 2026 would be released later this week and would 'build on steps initially announced in March." As part of those plans, Harvard will continue its university-wide hiring freeze for faculty and staff, 'with accommodations for extraordinary cases such as positions essential to fulfilling the terms of gift- or grant-funded projects.' In addition, each individual school and unit within the university will be expected to 'continue to reduce expenditures, streamline and simplify administrative processes, and make strategic, structural, and sustainable decisions that create greater financial capacity while accounting for distinctive priorities and needs.' The administrators cited four specific actions by the Trump administration that were contributing to its overall financial difficulties. While the letter indicated that Harvard officials hoped that the institution's ongoing 'legal challenges will reverse some of these federal actions and that our efforts to raise alternative sources of funding will be successful," it acknowledged at the same time that 'we also need to prepare for the possibility that the lost revenues will not be restored anytime soon." As an example of its attempt to maintain core aspects of its mission, the letter pointed to Harvard's allocation of 'substantial bridge funding, including the allocation of more than $250 million to a research continuity fund for FY25 and FY26.' However, in a signal that such contingency funding had its limits, the administrators wrote that 'additional steps are needed to address long-lasting declines in important sources of funding and increases in the costs of research and teaching.' Harvard has been locked into a highly publicized and protracted dispute with President Trump over various allegations and demands that federal officials have leveled against the university, including claims of antisemitism, complaints about its admissions practices and challenges to its institutional governance. While President Trump recently hinted that settlement talks with Harvard would probably soon lead to 'a deal' with the government, those negotiations appear to have hit some snags according to media accounts. In fact, pressure by the Trump administration on the university appears to be intensifying, with the governement threatening Harvard's accreditation and subpoenaing its records for 'relevant information' about international students. Harvard officials acknowledged that the university was facing 'disruptive changes, painful layoffs, and ongoing uncertainty about the future," while concluding that 'as we meet these challenges together, we will continue to benefit from our commitment to one another and the commitment of Harvard and every research university to serving the nation and the world through our core mission of teaching, learning, and research.'
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Forum in Staunton to discuss how federal policies and budget cuts will impact education
Building Bridges for the Greater Good began discussing community concerns over how federal policies and budget cuts will impact public schools at the annual Breaking Bread gathering in April. Now the organization wants to continue those discussions. A deeper dive conversation is set for June 16 as part of its Monday night forum series. Ryan Barber, Waynesboro Public Schools assistant superintendent; and Kelly Troxell, who was recently appointed by the Augusta County School Board as the division's next superintendent, will provide a factual basis to understand the multidimensional changes that are likely heading for public schools. The group will discuss what the community might be able to do about it locally and at the Virginia state level. Ron Ramsey, a member of the Staunton School Board, may join the discussion pending a possible called school board meeting that night. The event will take place at Augusta Street United Methodist Church, 325 N. Augusta St., Staunton, beginning at 6 p.m. More: Staunton and Waynesboro receive nearly $40,000 in tourism grants More: Staunton Superintendent Garett Smith celebrated by school board as he prepares to retire — Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Connect with Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@ and on Instagram @hitepatrick. Subscribe to us at This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Staunton forum to discuss how federal policies will impact education
Washington Post
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
How Washington is stressing out American schools
Public schools have had a tough run — pandemic closures and culture wars, falling test scores and rising absenteeism. Now they're facing a host of new pressures, this time from state and federal policies including proposals for private-school vouchers, funding cuts, and scrutiny of their approaches to gender and race. Many of the issues are under consideration, either in Congress or at the Supreme Court. Some proposals may be modified, and in some cases, the court may side with the schools' point of view. Nonetheless, taken together, public education today faces a landscape skeptical of, if not outright hostile to, its policies and priorities. The shifts could put new strains on schools' budgets and change how they handle controversial topics. That's particularly true for school districts in liberal states and communities, whose policies on race and gender are being challenged. But many of the threats and changes affect conservative communities, too. Some of the policies are economic, and some are cultural. Some are narrow, and others are broad. Some are proposals, and some are already in place. But put it all together, and public school advocates say they feel like they are constantly on the defensive. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement 'The attacks on public education are coming from everywhere — from the judicial branch, the executive branch, the legislative branch,' said Sasha Pudelski, director of advocacy for AASA, the School Superintendents Association. 'They're coming fast and furious.' Republicans control the White House, Congress and more than half the statehouses, and conservative justices make up a supermajority on the Supreme Court. Not all the pressures are ideological, but many are. This is certainly not the first time public education has felt pressure from Washington. Under President George W. Bush, the No Child Left Behind law imposed sweeping new accountability standards and requirements on schools with high-stakes consequences, including potential loss of federal funding. But that effort was bipartisan and came after a deliberative debate in Congress. This time, the pressure is coming from multiple directions, sometimes without warning or congressional action. Take a journey through our schoolhouse to see some of the headwinds facing K-12 education in America today. Federal funding The federal Education Department has worked to cancel billions of dollars' worth of K-12 grants and contracts that support teacher training, mental health, and education research and testing. The Trump administration said the teacher training and mental health grants wrongly funded diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. It said the education research was not a priority. And its budget proposal for next year would cut deeper: replacing $6.5 billion in programs for K-12 schools with a new $2 billion fund. The administration also is trying to cancel more than $2 billion worth of pandemic-relief funding that school districts have been counting on, a move that is being litigated. The Biden administration had given districts extra time to spend their allocated funding, a decision the Trump administration abruptly canceled. School WiFi The Supreme Court is considering a challenge to the federal E-Rate program that helps pay for school telephone and internet connectivity and represents the fifth-largest tranche of federal funding supporting K-12 schools. It is funded through the Universal Service Fund, whose funding structure is being challenged as an unconstitutional tax. School meals Congressional Republicans are considering significant cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, by increasing requirements for participation. The changes could put millions of people at risk of losing benefits, which would affect schools because many students are considered automatically eligible for free school meals based on their family's SNAP eligibility. The Urban Institute, a think tank, estimated that 832,000 students might need to prove their eligibility in another way if the changes take effect. In addition, the Agriculture Department cut a $660 million program that helped schools buy fresh food and meat from local farmers, ranchers and fishers. Medicaid cuts Medicaid is the state-federal health-care program for low-income Americans, but it also helps public education by reimbursing costs of care delivered in school. Republicans are planning significant cuts to Medicaid as part of their large tax and spending bill, stripping health coverage from millions of Americans. That could reduce reimbursements to the schools. It also could put new budget pressure on states, where education and health care compete for funding. Race and gender The Trump administration has threatened to pull federal funding from any school district that considers race in virtually any way for any reason, saying this is a violation of federal civil rights law. The administration had demanded that every district sign a letter affirming it is in compliance with the administration's interpretation of civil rights law, though the directive has been blocked for now by the courts. And the Education Department has launched multiple investigations of school systems that have diversity, equity and inclusion policies the administration does not like. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court may allow parents who object to lessons with LGBTQ+ themes on religious grounds to opt their children out. Schools say this would be logistically complicated, among other objections. Transgender athletes The Trump administration has said schools that recognize transgender students are advancing 'radical gender ideology' in violation of Title IX, which bars discrimination based on sex. The Trump administration has sued Maine because the state allows transgender athletes to compete in school sports, and it threatened to sue California after a 16-year-old transgender athlete placed first in two events at the state track-and-field championship. The Education Department also is investigating California and Maine for limits they put on what school districts can be required to tell parents about the names and pronouns students use at school. Students with disabilities The Supreme Court is considering a case that could make it easier for children with disabilities to win court cases in which they are challenging the accommodations offered by school districts. To win a certain type of case, families now must satisfy a high standard and show that the district, in denying the request for accommodations, acted with 'bad faith or gross misjudgment.' The challenge seeks to change the standard, which would make it easier for families to win cases against districts. Voucher programs Many states now offer parents tax dollars to pay for private schools or home schooling. A dozen states have programs that benefit all or almost all families, regardless of family income, though some are being phased in. The programs give families more choices but also provide an incentive for them to leave public schools. They also eat into state tax dollars that might have been spent on public education. A national voucher program is also under consideration at the federal level. The plan would allow federal taxpayers to donate money to state-based scholarship-granting organizations and then get their money back through a dollar-for-dollar, 100 percent tax credit. The scholarship organizations would hand out the vouchers, which could be used to pay for private school or home-school expenses. The vouchers could be offered in liberal states as well as conservative ones. Some of the Trump administration's actions may be blocked by the courts. Some of the Supreme Court cases might favor public schools. Some of the provisions in the GOP tax bill might be softened. But all in all, people on both sides of the debate agree that this is a moment of intense pressure. As a result, school officials have been forced to pay close attention to action in policy and politics, said Pudelski, of the superintendents' group. 'The message is that if you ignore what's happening in Washington, you do so at your own peril.'
