It is clear that President Trump has an agenda that does not support public education. His recent budget proposal is evidence of this. This year’s 2019 budget proposal includes the following cuts:

• $2 billion from the Supporting Effective Instruction State Grant Program

• $1.2 billion from Afterschool programs

• $1.2 billion from Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants

• $29 million from Arts in Education

• $17.6 million from the Special Olympics

• $840 million from Supplemental Opportunity Grants

• $630 million from the Federal Work Study Program

Additionally, Trump is proposing $5 billion for the expansion and creation of new private school voucher programs in the form of tax credit scholarships.

It is a fact that our public school system can not sustain budgetary cuts of this size. The truth is, the Federal Government actually owes our states and our schools millions, if not billions, of dollars in IDEA funding. We need our Federal Legislators to speak out against this budget proposal and demand a shift in the prioritization of spending that puts the focus on our future.