Trump’s budget has big education cuts

June 02--The cuts in President Donald Trump's first proposed budget have a national impact but promise to be particularly felt among the rural constituents that helped put him in the White House.

While many recent headlines have focused on changes to Medicaid, if legislators approve Trump's proposals, federal spending on education would drop 13 percent to $59 billion next year. Nearly $10 billion would be cut from federal education initiatives while devoting more than $400 million toward expanding charter schools and private vouchers.

The Trump administration also wants to use $1 billion in Title I funding -- distributed to schools based on their number of low-income students -- for a new grant program called FOCUS (Furthering Options for Children to Unlock Success). The program would benefit school districts that allow students to choose which public school they attend, taking their federal, state and local dollars with them.

It's too soon to tell how the proposal might affect local school districts. With the federal fiscal year starting October 1 and Kentucky's starting July 1, new education allocations wouldn't be felt locally until the 2018-19 school year. Still education cuts are always a concern.

"Public schools are already underfunded and further budget cuts could lead to negative consequences for school districts across the state and country," Somerset Independent Schools Superintendent Kyle Lively stated. "We are fortunate at Somerset Independent to be in a community that values education and continually supports our school system through a strong tax base. Without this continued support Federal budget cuts would have a much larger negative impact on

our students and schools."

Trump proposes to eliminate more than 20 programs, including:

--$2.1 billion for teacher training and class-size reduction;

--$1.2 billion for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program serving 1.6 million children (including Somerset and Science Hill independent districts), most of whom are poor;

--$72 million for two international education and foreign language programs;

--$27 million for arts education;

--$15 million for a program providing child care for low-income parents in college;

--$12 million for gifted students; and

--$12 million for Special Olympics education programs.

The proposed budget also ends a loan-forgiveness program for public servants, enacted in 2007 to encourage college graduates to become social workers, teachers, public defenders or doctors in rural areas. It's part of Trump's plan to simplify student loan repayment plans into one option that would cap monthly payments at 12.5 percent of discretionary income and forgive balances for undergraduate borrowers after 15 years.

The public service loan forgiveness program -- which enrolls more than 500,000 -- erases student loans after 10 years of employment for the government or a qualifying nonprofit. With the first group of participants set to have their loans forgiven in October, it's not clear whether Trump's proposal phases the program out or cancels it immediately.

Other programs wouldn't be eliminated but face severe cuts. Grants to states for career and technical education would lose $168 million (15 percent of current funding) and adult literacy instruction would lose $96 million (16 percent).

A popular proposal in Trump's budget is making Pell Grants available year-round instead of just fall and spring.

The President's budget proposal must first be approved by the U.S. House and Senate before it becomes law. Even with Republicans controlling both, it's likely that legislators will make several changes before the budget goes into effect.

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