More than two dozen student leaders from across the country fanned out across Capitol Hill on Oct. 28 to advocate for maintaining federal investments in K-12 education that the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers are looking to cut.
The 28 student leaders—representing 21 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico—were part of the National Student Council, a flagship program of the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
The students were advocating for the continuation of long-standing federal programs designed to give them equal opportunities to high-quality education, during a period when the federal government is looking to offload education responsibility to states and local districts. The advocacy day also happened to coincide with day 28 of the federal government shutdown, which has already disrupted funding for hundreds of school districts on federal land and dozens of Head Start programs that serve children ages 0 to 5.
“Especially given our current climate and the issue at hand—the government shutdown—it’s really important for us to come during this time and advocate for education because that’s not always what’s at the top of Congress people’s minds,” said Anvitha Vallabhaneni, a junior at Garnet Valley High School in Glen Mills, Pa.
Students emphasize the importance of federal funds in their schools
The National Student Council’s federal legislative agenda centered on six of the biggest federal education funding streams totaling more than $40 billion a year—including several the Trump administration disrupted this summer with a weekslong funding freeze that scrambled district budgets and drew bipartisan backlash. (The administration eventually released the money.)
The council’s federal budget priorities include maintaining funding for the following grants:
- Title I, which provides financial support to districts and schools with high percentages of students from low-income families ($18.4 billion a year);
- Title II, part A, which funds professional development opportunities for teachers and principals ($2.2 billion a year);
- Title III, which supports services for English learners ($890 million);
- Title IV, part A, which funds academic enrichment and student support programs;
- IDEA, which supports special education ($1.4 billion a year); and
- Perkins CTE, which funds career and technical education programs to meet the demands of the economy and the workforce ($1.4 billion a year).
Students met with Democrat and Republican lawmakers who represent their states. Some representatives were not available due to the shutdown, students said.
In meetings with Nebraska senators and representatives, Molly Kaldahl and Ava Nkwocha, who attend Millard South High School in Omaha, shared why those federal funds are important to their school.
Their school—where 29 percent of students receive free or reduced-price lunch—repurposed a classroom into a pantry where students can come in and grab anything they need, such as food and toiletries.
The pantry, which is funded by businesses and families, has made a huge difference in their school community, but that’s not enough, said Molly, a senior at the high school and the National Student Council vice president of leadership development. That’s why federal funds serving students’ needs should be maintained so all students can continue to have what they need to succeed in school, she added.
Rachel Yin, a senior at Wayzata High School in Plymouth, Minn., in meetings with her members of Congress, shared that while she goes to a well-resourced suburban public high school, she’s heard from students around the state who have limited AP and dual-enrollment options or lack the funding to participate in extracurricular activities.
Federal funding is “a crucial lifeline” to help close those disparities, Rachel said.
The Trump administration is pushing for major cuts to education programs as part of a broader pitch to reduce the federal role in education and streamline government spending. U.S. House of Representatives lawmakers who oversee budget-writing have endorsed President Donald Trump’s goal of slashing federal funding for K-12 schools.
A budget summary from Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., who chairs the House appropriations committee, touts the Title I funding cut as part of the bill’s effort to “safeguard taxpayer dollars, eliminate out-of-touch progressive policies, and end the weaponization of government.”
The student representatives also urged Congress to address mental health and school safety challenges.
Rachel shared a story about attending a school basketball game when an active shooter threat was called in. Thankfully, nothing came out of it, Rachel said, but she knows that’s not always the case for all students.
In August, two children were killed and 18 people were injured during a church service to mark the beginning of the new school year at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. There have been 13 school shootings this year that resulted in injuries or deaths, according to an Education Week analysis. There have been 234 such shootings since 2018.
Threats, even when nothing comes out of them, are harmful to the mental health of students and staff, Rachel said.
That’s why the student representatives are advocating for Congress to increase funding to support school safety training and infrastructure and promote the physical and emotional well-being of students and staff, she said.
Students say they’re empowered to continue the fight
School superintendents and finance officers have lobbying groups that represent them on Capitol Hill. But lawmakers likely don’t hear as often directly from students.
The students told Education Week that being in the nation’s capital and having the opportunity to meet members of their states’ congressional delegations have made them feel empowered, fulfilled, refreshed, and excited to keep advocating for their peers and educators.
“I felt like I was able to get my voice heard better than I would have had I not had this experience,” said Audrey Schroeder, the National Student Council secretary and a senior at Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School in West Chester, Pa.
“These senators and these representatives don’t necessarily have kids, or maybe they don’t necessarily know people who are involved in education,” Audrey said. “By being able to speak with them, I felt like they were able to finally hear a perspective other than just the same old people that they’ve been hearing from.”
The students who visited Congress said their immediate next steps include following up with their members of Congress and continuing to share their perspectives. Some students said they’ll urge their representatives to visit their schools so they can see the real effects of federal funding. And others said they’ll also educate their peers about the issues they’re advocating for.
Some students, however, said they still feel scared about the future of education in the country. The current shutdown could be the longest one in American history if it lasts much longer, with Republicans and Democrats still far apart on resolving budget disagreements.
“I’m afraid about this shutdown,” said David Arowolo, the National Student Council president and a junior at Eastern Technical High School in Baltimore. “I’m afraid about the future of programs that would benefit people across the United States when we’re hearing rhetoric about the debt of the nation is more important than the future and the lives and the safety of Americans.”
That’s why the student perspective is even more important, said Khushi Maheshwari, a junior at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North in Plainsboro, N.J.
“It’s really good we were able to come out as an organization to do this,” she said. “All the offices were telling us how big of a difference it makes to have these testimonies.”
