Upcoming problems in special education funding for the 2025-2026 school year
Substantial Budget Cuts There are significant changes coming in the new school year, 2025-2026 for public schools and special education. The Trump administration has paused billions of dollars in K-12 grants that many districts had already budgeted for in 2025 and 2026. According to ABC News (Arthur Jones II, July 2, 2025) The Trump administration is, “pausing over $6 billion of congressionally appropriated federal funding for after-school, student support, teacher training, English language and other education programs.” Although the administration claims that statutorily mandated special education funding through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) have been awarded to states on time, school budgets are usually approved in May or June and money is allocated by July 1st and students will be returning to the classroom while schools will still be uncertain about how the withheld funds will affect their schools. So, for example, English Language Learners (ELLs) may face reduced staff, or lose tutoring programs. Children in afterschool programs could be unsupervised, or their parents may be forced to leave their jobs. The summary of the 2026 Budget Request given by the U.S. Department of Education claims that, “overall, the Request includes $66.7 billion in new discretionary budget authority …