PHILADELPHIA – Philadelphia City Council Education and Children & Youth Committee Chairs Maria D. Quiñones-Sánchez and Helen Gym issued the following joint statement ahead of Vice President Pence’s visit to a Philadelphia area school:
“Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos have worked to undermine public education at every level since their first days in office. They’ve proposed cuts to teacher training and after school services and attacked vital programs that help disadvantaged students prepare and pay for college. Nothing Mike Pence says today will erase the Trump-DeVos record of broken promises. We condemn the Trump administration for putting the needs of wealthy special interests before those of our youth and we will continue to hold Trump, Pence and DeVos accountable for their failure to deliver for Philadelphia’s students.”
BACKGROUND:
For Three Years Running, Trump Has Proposed Eliminating Federal Funding For PA’s After-School Programs & Teacher Training Initiatives:
Education Week — “As with last year’s budget request, Trump wants to eliminate $2.1 billion in federal funding for teacher training under Title II, $1.2 billion in after-school funding in the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, and $1.2 billion in block-grant money for districts to use to enhance academic offerings and improve school climate under Title IV of the Every Student Succeeds Act.”
NPR — “The Education Department faces a 13.5 percent cut in spending, including the elimination of $1.2 billion in after-school programs and a $2.3 billion program to reduce class sizes and train teachers.”
Trump Has Repeatedly Sought To Eliminate Grants & Programs That Help Disadvantaged Students In PA Prepare For College:
Inside Higher Ed — “The budget eliminates the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant program, a $733 million program whose recipients are typically Pell-eligible college students. It also cuts the Federal Work-Study program by nearly half, to $500 million.”
Trump Has Used His Budget To Propose Massive Cuts To Programs That Tens Of Thousands Of Pennsylvania Students Rely On To Pay For College
Inquirer — “The budget would also “significantly” reduce funding for Federal Work-Study, under which students work approved jobs and the federal government subsidizes students’ pay. More than 58,000 students in Pennsylvania and New Jersey were awarded $71.6 million through work-study last school year, according to data from the Education Department. (12,625 students received $20,085,301 in NJ; 45,867 students received $51,515,382 in PA.)”
WaPo — “DeVos again wants to end loan forgiveness for public-sector workers and slash more than half of the budget for college work-study programs. Those proposals failed in a Republican-led Congress and have even less of a chance with the Democrats controlling the House.”
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