Here’s How a Trump Win Would Impact Teachers and Education Funding, According to Experts
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Angela Mae
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Jenna Klaverweiden
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What might happen after the presidential election is still up in the air, but some experts believe that a second Donald Trump presidency could impact teachers and education funding. The exact impact depends on quite a few factors, such as what Trump’s policies would actually end up being and whether or not he would receive enough support to pass new regulations surrounding academic funding.
That said, some experts believe that a Trump presidency could lead to reduced federal funding — particularly federal grants — and affect the dynamics between academic institutions and teachers unions. Some of this is supported by Trump’s first term in office, but like anything else, much is still speculation.
To find out more about how a Trump win could impact teachers and education funding, GOBankingRates spoke with industry experts Dennis Shirshikov, an economics professor at City University of New York and head of growth at Summer, and Darian Shimy, founder and CEO of FutureFund. Here are their predictions.
Also see predictions for the job market if Trump were to win the election.
Reduced Federal Funding
It’s possible — but again only speculation as of now — that a Trump presidency would lead to reduced federal funding for public schools. This could result in increased financial pressure on local and state governments to pick up the slack.
If this actually were to happen, it could also result in public school teachers — especially those in underfunded communities — facing larger class sizes and having fewer resources.
To illustrate this possibility, Shirshikov pointed out how during Trump’s first term in office, there were proposed budget cuts to the Department of Education. Among other things, these budget cuts aimed to cut federal spending on public education. Should a repeat occur, this could lead to greater strain on teachers and public schools.
Take Trump’s 2020 budget proposal as another example. In it, Trump proposed cutting more than $1 trillion from education funding. This was meant to reallocate funds toward voucher programs and charter schools. If he were to win in November, a possible side effect could be an overall reduction in department funding. All of this could negatively impact low-income students, result in more layoffs for teachers and cut essential programs.
Fewer Federal Grants (but Potentially More Funding for New Programs)
Another possibility would be cuts to federal grants.
According to Shirshikov, a Trump presidency could mean less federal involvement in education. “This could manifest as cuts to federal grants and programs that support low-income students, special education and other critical areas,” he said.
Something Trump emphasized during his first term in office was reducing the federal funding for various departments, education included, Shirshikov noted. If reelected, he could theoretically propose similar policies going forward, something that would also shift the economic burden to state and local communities rather than the federal government.
Shimy added that while some federal grants might receive less support, there could be more emphasis on funding new programs. This is something that could affect schools and students nationwide.
“It is possible that grants that support certain ideas or policies will be given more attention,” Shimy said. “For example, there could be a push for grants that help with school choice, vocational education or STEM programs. Even though these are important, putting too much emphasis on them could hurt other important areas of education, like arts education, social and emotional learning, or programs that help students from low-income families.”
The requirements for getting these grants could also change. For example, they could be offered based on performance. “While this approach might encourage better results,” Shimy said, “it could also hurt schools in poor areas that are already having a hard time with limited resources.”
Changes to Teachers Unions
According to Shimy, a Trump win could also alter the dynamics between teachers unions and educational institutions.
“Because Trump’s administration and teachers unions have had problems in the past, we might see more efforts to limit their power in the school system,” Shimy said, referring to a USA Today article on the topic. “The effects of this could be different, and it might make it harder for teachers to get better working conditions, pay and benefits through collective bargaining.”
It’s possible that new laws or regulations would be put into place that limit what unions can actually do in schools. Shimy gave a few examples of what this might mean.
“This could mean that union meetings can’t happen during school hours or that school facilities can’t be used for union-related activities,” he said. “These kinds of actions might make it harder for unions to organize and talk to their members clearly, which could lower their overall power.”
Push Toward Privatization
It’s also possible that we would see another push toward privatization under a second Trump presidency, as that was something he pushed for in his first term. As Trump said at a press conference in 2020, “We’re fighting for school choice … all children have to have access to quality education.”
On one hand, this could increase the options for education. As Forbes reported, “‘School choice’ is the term for giving students and families options in K-12 education, usually referring to charter schools and/or vouchers for private schools.”
On the other hand, this could potentially weaken the financial foundation of some traditional public schools. It might also lead to greater disparities in the quality of education based on local wealth.
“Trump’s previous administration focused on school choice initiatives, such as expanding charter schools and voucher programs, which can divert funds from traditional public schools,” Shirshikov said. “This shift might exacerbate funding disparities between wealthy and underprivileged school districts, ultimately affecting teacher salaries, resources and job security.”
Plus, states could be left picking up the slack. “The push towards privatization through school vouchers and charter schools could also lead to a reallocation of public funds,” Shirshikov said. “States with already tight budgets might struggle to make up the shortfall.”
Looking back at Trump’s first term in office, there was a push for greater funding for vouchers and charter schools to provide more options. If Trump were to push for this again, it could divert funds away from public schools. Schools that can manage the financial burden themselves may not be as impacted by this possible change. Those with less public or state funding might have to make changes accordingly.
These predictions are based on previous policies and patterns under Trump’s initial term in office, but, again, it’s primarily speculation at this point.
Editor’s note on election coverage: GOBankingRates is nonpartisan and strives to cover all aspects of the economy objectively and present balanced reports on politically focused finance stories. You can find more coverage of this topic on GOBankingRates.com.
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