Trump’s Dismantling of Ed Department Will Have ‘Functionally Zero’ Impact on CPS, District Officials Say

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday calling to dismantle the Department of Education — a change that will have “minimal” impact on Cambridge Public Schools, according to district officials.

While Trump’s executive order instructed Secretary of Education Linda M. McMahon to “take all steps necessary to facilitate the closure of the Department,” experts agree that it cannot be shut down without congressional approval. But this has not stopped Trump from shrinking the department, cutting nearly half of its staff.

The funds provided to public schools by the department are designated to two key areas: Title I grants to support low-income schools, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to help districts support students with disabilities.

Despite moves to shutter the Education Department, the Trump administration clarified that Title I and IDEA funding will be preserved and redistributed across federal agencies. They have yet to clarify where the funding will come from once the department is dissolved.

Federal funding accounts for only 2.7 percent of the CPS budget, with most of these funds coming from Title I and IDEA grants. CPS has a budget of nearly $300 million, spending more than $38,000 per student — almost twice the spending of the average district in Massachusetts.

School Committee member Elizabeth C.P. Hudson said she does not expect the executive order will affect the district’s Title I grants.

“We don’t know, but it looks like the impact is functionally zero,” she said.

But even in the “extreme” scenario where the district’s $7.5 million in federal funding is eliminated, Hudson said CPS will “absolutely” find a way to provide students with the same level of support.

President of the Cambridge Educators Association Dan Monahan agreed, writing that CPS has the resources to make up for potential funding lost from the federal government. But he said he was concerned about the potential impact to districts outside of Cambridge.

“We have resources to better weather the storm better and continue strong supports for scholars and caregivers than other districts in the state and across the country,” he wrote. “I fear more for them than us.”

As Governor Maura T. Healey ’92 warned that Trump’s moves jeopardize over $2 billion in funding across the state, the Somerville School Committee jointly filed a complaint against the administration’s attempt to shutter the department. In 2021, Cambridge’s neighboring school district received eight percent of its funding from the federal government.

While Monahan recognized that CPS will not be hit as hard by funding cuts, he wrote that he is hopeful the district will continue following special education laws “even if the accountability diminishes.”

Vice Mayor Marc C. McGovern, a former member of the School Committee, wrote that the Trump administration is “intent on attacking vulnerable populations,” and that they are now “attacking children.”

“They have no shame,” McGovern wrote. “Cuts in funding to things like Head Start, Free and Reduced lunch, and special education will hurt children.”

Despite concerns, McGovern ensured that the district will make sure to address any funding losses resulting from the executive order.

“Cambridge is not going to let our students go hungry or not get the support they need,” he wrote.

But Hudson pointed to preexisting issues in the district that predate the funding cuts and said CPS must focus on “figuring out why we have been talking about the same problems for 40 years and have yet to solve them.”

“We got to stop talking about anything that’s not directly under our control or that directly impacts us,” she said.

CPS spokesperson Jaclyn Piques declined to comment on how the executive order will impact the district.

Changes in the White House have been a relevant topic of discussion at recent School Committee meetings, as the Trump administration allowed Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers to conduct raids in schools, and amid threats to districts who promote “gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology.”

In a Feb. 4 meeting, CPS Interim Superintendent David G. Murphy addressed concerns of funding cuts, ensuring that CPS students “are going to be unaffected” by changes at the federal level.

“That’s a commitment that we’re very fortunate to be in a position to make because of our resources,” Murphy said.

—Staff writer Ayaan Ahmad can be reached at ayaan.ahmad@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @AyaanAhmad2024.