By Quintessa Williams, Word in Black
Earlier this year, the Black Minds Matter 2025 report projected that California’s Black K-12 public school students wouldn’t reach reading proficiency until 2070, or math proficiency until 2089. But that was assuming schools would continue to receive full funding.
Now, those timelines could be stretched even further, due in part to a fight between the state and the Trump administration amid the recent ICE raids and widespread protests in Los Angeles.
According to a POLITICO report, the White House is considering slashing nearly $8 billion in federal education funding for California. The money, disbursed through the Department of Education, supports crucial programs such as Title I, which funds services for low-income students, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which provides funding for programs serving students with special needs.
“If the Trump administration were to cut California’s federal education funding, that would be theft, plain and simple,” says Dr. Christopher Nellum, executive director of Ed Trust-West. “It’s an ugly threat to steal our tax dollars from our children.”
Nellum notes that more than 3 in 4 Black students in California participate in Title I programs, which reach nearly 90% of school districts nationwide.
“I’m not sure people realize just how wide-reaching federal education dollars are,” he adds. “They support low-income students, multilingual learners, teacher development, transitional kindergarten, tutoring, and afterschool programs. All of those things would be impacted if funding is taken away.”
Tony Thurmond, California’s school superintendent, told POLITICO that while he’s confident Trump can’t pull state funding without congressional support, he’s also prepared to block such a move.
“I’ve learned to expect anything and be prepared for anything,” Thurmond says. “I think that we do have avenues that will protect funding in this state, but every day is a new day, and we have to stay vigilant.”
Still, if those funds are withheld or cut, schools would lose vital programs that help students recover from learning loss, receive individualized support, or stay on track to graduate.
A Direct Hit to Black Student Support
At the heart of the Trump administration’s proposal to defund California’s education system are twin political disputes over the state’s policies on immigration enforcement and transgender rights. The move follows a wave of protests in Los Angeles and other cities against recent ICE raids — demonstrations that shut down sections of the town and signaled growing pushback to Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
“In California, I think we saw pretty flagrant violations of Title IX, and that is why this focus was put on them,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon told CNN earlier this month. “We have men participating in women’s sports, which is clearly against Title IX, and the president has made it very clear that he is definitely going to uphold Title IX.”
Potential cuts would include Title I and IDEA funds — programs that disproportionately serve Black students.
It’s an ugly threat to steal our tax dollars from our children.Dr. Christopher nellum, executive director of edtrust-west
Title I currently provides over $18 billion annually to schools serving predominantly low-income students. The money helps schools reduce class sizes, fund teacher retention programs, provide tutoring for struggling students, and cover the costs of after-school and summer learning programs. It also helps low-income districts pay for special education and mental health services.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funding, which guarantees students with disabilities access to a free and appropriate public education, is also at risk.
“We’re already in a financial environment where schools — especially those serving primarily Black students — don’t have the resources they need,” Nellum says. “If federal funding is cut, it would be one more way we compound our long national history of underinvesting in Black students.”
A Crisis That Could Ripple Across the Nation
California is home to the sixth-largest Black population in the country and plays a crucial role in the nation’s economic future. Its $3.9 trillion economy — the largest of any state and the 5th largest in the world — significantly impacts the U.S. as a whole.
Despite the state’s wealth, a disproportionate number of Black public-school students attend schools that rely heavily on federal funding. Without those resources, the opportunity gaps identified in the report could stretch well beyond 2070 and 2089.
Recent proposals to dismantle the Department of Education could also worsen these projections, and Nellum says the aftershocks could ripple nationwide.
“If folks — no matter where they are in this country — are interested in supporting Black students and Black communities, California should be on their mind,” he told Word In Black earlier this year. “This is not just a California problem — that’s a problem for all the states that rely on us.”
We Will Continue to Fight
As uncertainty looms, education advocates and state leaders are preparing to fight back.
“California and other states have fought these efforts in court, and the actions of the administration have been blocked,” says Liz Sanders, director of communications for the California Department of Education. “We will continue to fight to protect all students’ access to educational resources.”
And Nellum says families and communities need to make themselves heard, too.
“School leaders and district leaders should prioritize equity in every decision they make. All of them need to hear from you,” he says. “Show up to your local school board meetings and share what you need. Meet with your child’s principal. Call your legislators. We need to actively and frequently use all the tools we have available to protect vital funding for our students.”