Federal Funding Cuts Threaten Education Programs in Silicon Valley

SAN JOSE, California — Educators and politicians in Silicon Valley are raising alarms over proposed federal funding cuts that could severely impact vulnerable students and lead to a reduction in teachers. On April 23, Congressmember Sam Liccardo, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, and Campbell Union School District Superintendent Shelly Viramontez spoke against these cuts at Rosemary Elementary School.

The potential cuts target special education and Title I funding, which supports schools with high percentages of low-income students. Liccardo and congressional Democrats are also challenging an executive order that aims to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, potentially leading to $330 billion in cuts to critical educational programs over the next decade.

“Rosemary Elementary has a very effective program for special needs students,” Liccardo told San Jose Spotlight. “Pulling the rug out on this kind of opportunity for children is just criminal.”

Viramontez explained that roughly 9% of the district’s general budget comes from federal funding, which includes approximately $830,000 from Title I. At Rosemary Elementary, nearly 34% of the budget is reliant on federal support for English language learners and students with disabilities, who account for 9% of the student population. “It’s impacting our most marginalized students the most,” she said. “Our special education budget is $26 million right now, so that would have a pretty significant impact on us.”

The district’s approach focuses on preventative support for all students. “We don’t have enough funding as it is,” Viramontez added. “The idea of losing what we currently have… we can’t tolerate that.”

Clark highlighted that cuts to Head Start, Title I, and school nutrition programs are also at risk due to their large budgets. “These dollars work,” she said. “At Rosemary Elementary School, they serve 15,000 meals a month. The difference that can make in a child’s life… we should be adding more funding, not taking it away.”

Alyssa Sigala, a kindergarten teacher at Rosemary, warned that funding reductions could result in the loss of essential staff such as reading specialists and aides who support students with disabilities. “Without them, we would struggle to provide the necessary support,” she stated.

David Goldberg, president of the California Teachers Association, noted the widespread impact of federal cuts. “It’s a tidal wave. It’s a whole ecosystem of programs,” he said. He emphasized that the cuts would affect around 800,000 special education students in California and hundreds of thousands reliant on free lunch programs.

Goldberg further pointed out that cuts to teacher training grants could lead to a shortage in education staff. “It’s going to be harder and harder to fill positions if you cut these programs,” he said, urging the federal government to cease what he termed “the constant threat of cuts that is just devastating public education.”