Protect Our Schools & US Dept of Education Rally: $50M to Lose!
Join Support Our Schools and the SEE Alliance
Tuesday, February 18th
5:15 pm Rally: Save Our Schools & US DOE! (Come early to make signs)
6:00 pm Board Meeting: We need your voice!
Trump to Cut Funding for Low-Income & Special Needs Students
Trump has fired DOE staffers and DOGE is currently holed up in the DOE building hacking into government software to cut funds and services for low-income and special needs children nationwide.
Current Federal DOE Funding for Sarasota Public Schools:
· $12.3M for IDEA special education programming.
· $11.4M for Title I grants to schools with high percentages of low-income students.
· $2.5M for Title IV program to improve student achievement.
· $1.5M in “Teacher and Principal” funding to improve the effectives of teachers and principals and increase student achievement.
· Millions more designated for other programs, including funding for homeless students and Head Start programs.
How Closing DOE Will Hurt Sarasota Schools & Children
Support Our Schools has calculated that $12.3 in lost special education funding could result in the laying off as many as 170 special education teachers and support staff. However, the harm to students is not limited to fiscal issues. The proposed block granting of federal funds will mean that students with disabilities will lose their rights to a “free and appropriate public education” and the right to an IEP with safeguards and protections. It will push special education back 50 years when children with disabilities were warehoused in basements and aging strip malls, if they were educated at all.
Title 1 Cuts: $2,400 per low-income student. (Project 2025)
Half of the elementary schools in Sarasota (as does Booker Middle School and some charter schools and special programs) receive Title I funding This funding pays for extra teachers and staff, including reading and math specialists, after-school tutoring, parent education, and many other programs and services. Again over 100 staff will be let go, if this funding is terminated.
Free and Reduced School Lunches $31 Million Cut
The proposed elimination of the “reduced price” portion of the (Agriculture Dept.) program will hit low-income working families. Sarasota County Schools receives $31 million from the USDA for this program. Interestingly, the Trump pick for Sec. of Agriculture is Brooke Rollins, a direct colleague of McMahon at the America First Institute.
General Info & Published Agenda
Multiple items on this agenda allow you to discuss the Trump plan and DOGE’s moves to shut down the US Dept of Education. Speak about how it will impact our Sarasota families and school district. These fall into three categories: Eliminating or gutting vital programs like ESE and Title 1, funding school choice rather than vital programs, and censoring curriculum.
***Your On-Agenda Speech (3 min)*** Focus on the cuts, gutting, and or weaponizing) the US DOE, specifically its effects on children and schools in the Sarasota district.
***Your General Comment Speech (2 min)*** Use this time to discuss your concerns about immigration, particularly possible ICE interventions at Sarasota schools. While Mr. Connor and the district have clarified some aspects of district policy on an ICE intervention, the district has not addressed all our concerns and has not published its policies on the website. You don’t need to identify a specific agenda item for this speech.
IMPORTANT: You Must Register Online to Speak!
Register to Speak:: (Form will appear on Monday) You must identify each agenda item you wish to speak on. If you have difficulty registering, call Kathy Tompkins at (941)927-9000, Ext 31147.
LINK TO SIGNUP TO SPEAK: https://sarasotacountyschools.diligent.community/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Id=79
ISSUES & AGENDA ITEMS
1. How US DOE Cuts/Closure Will Hurt Sarasota Schools
Agenda Item 10.9, “Approval of the Supt’s Finance Report for Nov. 30, 2024 and Dec. 31, 2024”
This item provides budgetary information that spells out how much funding is provided by the US DOE. In the table entitled “Special Revenue” (which is the 5th table in the packet), it shows that Sarasota County Schools expects to receive $49.6 million in federal funds which is spelled out under Revenues, the first two items, Federal Direct and Federal State. Express YOUR CONCERNS about losing all or most of these federal funds and the impact that will have on the district. (See earlier information for specifics.) The two biggest recipients of these funds include ESE for special education programming and Title I for extra funding for schools with a high level of students from low-income families.
2. The Trump Plan to Weaponize US DOE and Fund School Privatization
Agenda Item 11.1, 11.2, and 11.3, “School Choice” Addendum to the Dreamers Academy and Renewed Approval of Island Village Montessori School and Sarasota Military Academy.
Each item describes the rationale for requesting the approval of these three school choice programs. Mention all these programs. Use this opportunity to discuss how Trump has already indicated that his plan is to use any federal funds for education that escape the chopping block will be utilized for school choice vouchers. Trump’s January 29 Executive Order, “Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families, said that money should be sent to the states (in block grants rather than dedicated program funding) for “formula-grant” programs (like IDEA special education and Title 1 for low-income students) should be used for school choice such as vouchers for private schools. This will devastate Sarasota schools (see above for what these programs provide).
3. Censoring Curriculum and Textbooks
Agenda Items 11.4 to 11.22, “Academic Service,” seeks the approval of science instructional material, largely textbooks, for certain grade levels and specific courses. Most of this material (to be approved) has been censored by the State of Florida (legislation and FL Dept. of Education). It intends to remove or “soften” certain information on such topics as climate change or gender topics.
PROJECT 2025: Mention that the Trump-Musk administration has adopted the proposals in Project 2025 to adopt a “patriotic curriculum.” The textbooks up for approval reflect this type of censorship. Florida is paving the way in this area and will serve as a model for what DOGE wants for the entire country; the federal backing of this approach will only embolden the FL DOE to impose even stronger censorship and ideological control.
SOURCES:
“Musk Team Announces Millions in Cuts to DOE Amid Legal Pushback” (NYT). In defiance of judicial court rulings, Musk’s DOGE has already slashed nearly $1 Billion in Education grant-funded programs, including research projects to improve student achievement and reading levels.
The “Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunities for Families,” White House Executive Order issued January 29, turns dedicated funding for “formula-grant” programs, including IDEA special education and Title 1 programs, into block grants that must be prioritized to fund school vouchers for private schools and even for-profit school choice programs.
REGISTER TO SPEAK (The speaker form will be live on Monday, only 24 hours prior to the board meeting) If you have difficulty registering, call Kathy Tomkins (941)927-9000, Ext 31147. LINK TO SIGNUP: https://sarasotacountyschools.diligent.community/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Id=79