Press Release: 4/2/2025

Trump Administration Terminates $106 Million in K-12 Education Funding for Massachusetts

 



Funding supported student mental health supports, tutoring, school security and building upgrades 



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:



4/01/2025



MEDIA CONTACT 



Karissa Hand, Press Secretary



 Phone



Call Karissa Hand, Press Secretary at 617-725-4025



BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration is condemning the Trump Administration’s illegal move to terminate $106 million in K-12 education grant funding for Massachusetts. On Friday evening at 5:03 pm, the U.S. Department of Education notified all states about its decision to end the federal Education Stabilization Fund liquidation period effective three minutes prior, at 5:00 pm. Nationally, it is estimated that this decision terminates over $2 billion across 41 states. In February 2025, the Trump Administration had just reaffirmed that Massachusetts had until March 2026 to spend the funds.  



“At a time when students are still struggling to recover from the pandemic, we need to be doing everything we can to address learning loss and the youth mental health crisis. Instead, President Trump suddenly ripped away more than $100 million in funding that is supposed to go right to Massachusetts students and schools,” said Governor Maura Healey. “This action is jeopardizing mental health care and math tutoring for our students, as well as projects that are already underway to enhance school security and ensure that the air in our school buildings is clean. Massachusetts has been making important progress helping students recover from the pandemic, but President Trump is trying to take us backwards.” 



“The federal government and states should be working together to invest in capital projects that improve the learning environments for our students and support their education and wellbeing,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “Massachusetts does not have the resources to replace all of the funding that President Trump is terminating. These are more devastating terminations that impact our students and schools today and well into the future.” 



“We are not back yet from the pandemic. We know that many students in Massachusetts and across the country are still experiencing pandemic-related learning loss and mental health challenges. The federal government had repeatedly reaffirmed these extensions in acknowledgement of continued supply chain issues, labor shortages and to ensure continuity in learning acceleration efforts. Projects funded by these grants are underway. The Trump Administration’s outrageous and cruel decision, in which we received notice of a new arbitrary deadline, will have real harm to our students and their learning and wellbeing,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Patrick Tutwiler.  



The funding was intended to support a multitude of statewide efforts to address pandemic-related learning loss, with a focus on literacy, math and science – areas where learning was particularly disrupted during the pandemic. Recent test scores show that, while Massachusetts students continue to lead the nation, they have still not fully recovered from the learning lost during the pandemic. This funding helped address those gaps by supporting mental health services, high-dosage math tutoring, purchasing of high-quality instructional material with a focus on science, and enhanced screenings to identify students’ risk of poor reading outcomes, including risk of dyslexia. 



This funding was supporting building upgrades across 20 school districts to improve air quality through HVAC installations and build outdoor learning spaces for students. Some projects were enhancing security in schools, including the purchasing of cameras, door alarm, and emergency response technology. As the federal government had committed to these funds, the projects are all currently underway but had been delayed due to continued supply chain issues and labor shortages. 



The funding was also supporting professional development for educators, such as DESE’s Learning Acceleration Network and five Regional Licensure Centers that help emergency teacher license holders get provisional or initial licensure to stay employed in Massachusetts public schools. 



“Trump's decision to cut off money already promised to school districts will have drastic negative effects on Massachusetts communities,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). "This administration clearly does not care about damaging our education system or hurting our children, leaving local officials scrambling to pick up the pieces when they should be fully focused on supporting our schools. It's all part of the federal administration's unconscionable hacksaw approach to governing. Trump is not only undermining Congress and our Constitution, he is making dangerous cuts that will undermine public education, the very engine of opportunity and economic vitality that has been a hallmark of this Commonwealth since Horace Mann.” 



“The Trump administration pretends to champion education by claiming it wants to empower states, but in reality, it is actively sabotaging states' ability to support our most vulnerable students,” said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy). “Canceling funds that schools have already built into their budgets is reckless, and shows a blatant disregard for the needs of our students and schools." 



“As a former member of the National Assessment Governing Board which oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), I am acutely aware of the significant negative impact that COVID had on our K-12 students in Massachusetts and across the country from which many students have not fully recovered,” said State Representative Alice Peisch (D-Wellesley), House Assistant Majority Leader. These funds were given to the states to determine how to best ensure the negative impact of lost learning time is addressed. The fact that the Trump administration is taking the funds back gives lie to its claim that it is eliminating the DOE in order to give more authority to the states and not to cut funding. This action is unconscionable and cowardly.” 



“This is another example of outrageous and capricious behavior from the Trump administration, which will hurt Massachusetts schools that had already approved plans for use of these funds,” said State Senator Jason Lewis (D-Winchester), Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Education. 



“This is a time when we should be supporting our students, especially those who are still struggling to emerge from challenges stemming from the pandemic,” said State Representative Ken Gordon (D-Bedford), House Chair of the Joint Committee on Education. “It is not the time to pull back. We in the House value every student, and we will stand up for our learners.” 



“Recalling this funding is further evidence of the Trump administration’s indifference toward public education and willingness to sacrifice students, families and communities in the name of delivering tax cuts to the wealthy,” said Massachusetts Teachers Association President Max Page and Vice President Deb McCarthy. “These are crucial federal investments communities are counting on. Without these funds, students stand to lose necessary tutoring and other academic support, and financially strapped cities and towns won’t be able to remedy health and safety vulnerabilities exposed during the pandemic. Donald Trump and Linda McMahon cannot be allowed to abandon our public schools.” 



“Withdrawing funding already in use in schools across the country is nothing short of a cruel attempt to cause chaos and destruction. Tens of thousands of children right here in Massachusetts rely on services and resources paid for by this funding. These cuts will disproportionately harm those most in need of services – students with disabilities, low-income students, and the districts serving at-risk students,” said Jessica Tang, President of the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts. The federal education agenda is nothing short of a dismantling of our ability to provide a fair and equal public education. We thank Secretary Tutwiler and Governor Healey for their commitment to supporting our students, our schools, and our educators and we will continue to use every tool in our arsenal to protect their future.” 



Impacted school districts:




  • Springfield ($47,357,654)

  • New Bedford ($15,603,433) 

  • Fitchburg ($6,578,468)

  • Everett ($4,897,300)

  • Revere ($4,613,327)

  • Boston ($3,468,659)

  • Leominster ($1,868,215)

  • Stoughton ($1,512,470)

  • Worcester ($1,454,350)

  • Chelsea ($1,448,715)

  • Lawrence ($1,307,307)

  • Dracut ($648,702)

  • Holyoke ($395,863)

  • West Springfield ($354,868)

  • Lynn ($339,357)

  • Fairhaven ($250,802)

  • Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical ($115,465)

  • Ludlow ($83,334)

  • Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical ($21,461)

  • Mashpee ($2,481) 



Impacted Nonpublic Schools:




  • Mater Dolorosa Catholic School in Holyoke ($118,894)

  • Saint Stanislaus School in Chicopee ($172,692)