Which schools will lose what in the battle in the next federal education budget

“Changes are not from keeping the status quo, but by making bold, disciplined choices,” said Tom Cole, a Republican of Oklahoma, in a press release.

The Senate’s third proposal would make smaller cuts, but to a large extent, maintain funding.

Quick reminder: Federal funding accounts for a relatively small share of school budgets, about 11%, although cuts in low-income areas can still be painful and destructive.

Schools in the Blue Congress District could lose more money

Researchers in the liberal think tank New America want to know that the impact of these suggestions may vary depending on the politics of the congressional district. They found that Trump’s budget would subtract about $35 million from K-12 schools in each district on average, while Democrats-led budgets were slightly more costly than Republican-led ones.

The House proposal will make deeper, more partisan cuts, with Democrats representing the losses of about $46 million on average and Republican-led regions losing about $36 million.

Republican leadership of the House Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for the budget proposal, did not respond to NPR’s request for comment on the partisan divide.

“In some cases, we have to make some very difficult choices,” R-Ala, the top Republican of the Appropriations Committee. Rep. Robert Aderholt said on the full committee of the bill. “Americans have to prioritize at the kitchen table about the resources they have in their families. We should do the same.”

A more modest Senate proposal will keep the status quo largely intact.

In addition to the work in New America, the Liberal Institute for Learning Policy has created this tool to compare the potential impact of the Senate bill with the president’s proposal.

High-poverty schools may lose low-poverty schools

According to an analysis by liberal-leaning Edtrust, Trump and the House of Representatives’ proposals will disproportionately harm productivity school districts.

In Kentucky, for example, Edtrust estimates that the president’s budget could cost the state’s highest poverty-stricken school district, almost three times the amount of its wealthiest district.

The layoffs are even steeper in the House proposal: Kentucky’s highest poverty-stricken schools could lose $372 per student, while its lowest poverty-stricken schools could lose $143.

The Senate bill cuts are much less: in the state’s highest impoverished school district, it’s $37 per child, and $12 per student in its lowest impoverished area.

New American researchers came to similar conclusions when studying the congressional district.

“The lowest income congressional district will lose half of its money and is the richest congressional district under the Trump budget,” said Zahava Stadler of New America.

Stadler said the House proposal would be further, imposing cuts to the Trump budget was not on the title.

“The housing budget makes a difference, and the horrible thing is that it is open to the funds for poor students. That’s not what we’re seeing,” Stadler said. once. ”

Republican leaders on the House Appropriations Committee did not respond to comments on the huge impact of its proposal on low-income communities.

The Senate proposes a title first next year.

Most few schools may lose more than most white schools

Just as the president’s budget will hit older schools severely, New America has found that it will also have a huge impact on the congressional districts where schools serve mainly people of color. These areas will lose almost twice as much money as those in white areas, which Stadler calls “a huge, huge gap”. ”

One of several drivers of this difference is the White House decision to end all funding for English learners and immigrant students. In a budget document, the White House argued that it “recognizes the emphasis on the primacy of English.

According to New America, the Congressional districts that serve white students will lose an average of about $27 million, according to the House proposal, while districts with most schools for children of color will lose more than double the losses: nearly $58 million.

Edtrust’s data tool tells a similar story, divided by state. For example, the Pennsylvania school district that serves the most students of color will lose $413 per student, according to the president’s budget. Areas with the least served students of color will only lose $101 per child.

The House proposal found similar: The $499 cut per person per person in Pennsylvania was $499, the region served the most people of color, while the $128 cut per child in predominantly white areas.

“This is the most surprising to me,” said Ivy Morgan of Edtrust. “Overall, the House proposal is really worse [than the Trump budget] For high poverty areas, there are high proportions of students in color, urban and rural areas. And we didn’t expect to see it. ”

Trump and the House of Representatives’ proposals do share a common denominator: Believe that federal spending on national schools should be reduced.

When Trump promised “we will very simply return education to the state they belong to,” it obviously included reducing some federal roles in funding schools.