Federal funding could continue for NM schools amid plan to gut Department of Education

Ahead of signing an executive order Thursday that aims to ax the Department of Education, President Donald Trump said three key funding programs, Pell Grants, Title I and funding for children with special needs, would not be dissolved with the department.

“They’re going to be preserved in full and redistributed to various other agencies and departments that will take very good care of them,” Trump said at a news conference Thursday.

Congress would have to approve the elimination of the department, which it created in 1979.

By vowing to fully preserve Title I, Trump has likely softened the blow that could’ve been felt by New Mexico’s largest school district, Albuquerque Public Schools, with the shuttering of the federal department.

Federal grants make up around $345 million of the APS budget, and $37.9 million is allocated to Title I schools where a majority of students are economically disadvantaged. The budget doesn’t explicitly outline funding for students with special needs, which make up almost 25% of the district’s enrollment.

On Wednesday, APS said it appeared federal funds would continue flowing in, and spokesperson Martin Salazar said the district was “grateful for that.”

But Albuquerque Teachers Federation President Ellen Bernstein cast doubt on the president’s commitment.

“You would have to trust that statement. And I don’t,” Bernstein said.

At the national level, the teachers union has vowed to sue Trump for dismantling the department, and Bernstein said she supports that move.

“Just like with everything else, this is about chaos,” Bernstein said. “Chaos creates fear and uncertainty and our job in education is to provide stability, it just makes our job that much harder.”

Trump did not explicitly vow to protect funding streams outside of Pell Grants and Title I and in a statement Thursday U.S. Sen Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., expressed concern Title II and III funding could be eliminated.

“Title II, Part A funds teacher professional development. New Mexico receives over $2 million per year from the Department of Education to help educators improve and expand their teaching skills,” Heinrich said. “Title III funds help students learn English. One out of three families in New Mexico speak a language other than English at home, and about one out of six students are classified as English learners. New Mexico currently receives about $9 million per year to help kids learn English.”

While the announcement appears to keep some key funding streams in place for APS and other districts in the state, the executive order could hinder the University of New Mexico’s ability to receive federal dollars.

Trump’s order requires that the secretary of education ensure that the allocation of any department funds is “subject to rigorous compliance with Federal law and Administration policy” and any program must eliminate “‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI) or similar terms and programs promoting gender ideology,” to receive funding.

On March 15, the Trump Administration announced a civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department of Education against UNM’s main campus and 44 other universities for participating in DEI initiatives.

“UNM is committed to complying with all laws. Our focus remains on providing a supportive environment for all students, faculty, and staff to learn, work, and thrive,” university spokesperson Cinnamon Blair said in a statement.

She added that the university was anticipating the dismantling of the department, but “there are no specific or actionable matters related to it.”

“We do want to assure our students that we continue to distribute federal financial aid and that the order itself directs the Department of Education to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits,” Blair wrote.

Trump’s order intending to dismantle the department fulfills a long-standing campaign promise and comes roughly a week after 1,300 layoffs sliced the department in half.

Cutting the Department of Education is the wrong approach, Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., told the Journal Thursday afternoon.

“Education is the way out of poverty for many families. Certainly, it was the way for my family and for myself to move into the middle class,” Vasquez said.