In the America-first budget, schools come last
Trump’s education budget defunds public schools and universities, herds students toward private and charter schools
When it comes to education, President Donald Trump’s “America First” budget flips the famous line from the baseball movie “Field of Dreams” that people have adapted to use in business ever since: “If you build it, they will come.”
Trump’s philosophy seems to be, “If you break it, they will come to private and charter schools” — “it” in this scenario being the traditional public school system. The new president has made it clear that he will use drastic cuts — $9.2 billion worth of them to the Department to Education — to lessen the public sector’s hold on students, without offering viable alternatives.
With the release of his first budget, Trump seeks to cut federal education spending by 13 percent (that $9.2 billion figure), according to an initial analysis performed by The Washington Post. The reductions would pay for a $1.4 billion voucher expansion to help subsidize public school students who want to attend private schools. Included in these cuts are things like teacher training and afterschool programs, the savings from which would make room for a $168 million increase (a 50 percent hike) in charter school spending, which funds the start-up and expansion of charters.
Join the conversation later on Andre Perry’s radio show, “Free College,” hosted Tuesdays on WBOK1230 in New Orleans at 3pm Central/4pm Eastern 504.260.9265.
Encouraging private and charter school attendance by reducing federal funding to traditional public schools and thus making them less desirable to attend doesn’t create opportunities for students. If “draining the swamp” includes traditional public schools, Trump has In the America-first budget, schools come last - The Hechinger Report: