The fight over next year’s federal education budget has begun. Congress and the White House have released competing proposals for funding the nation’s K–12 schools in fiscal year 2026.

Education advocates warn that these plans would impose steep cuts on the nation’s most vulnerable students and disadvantaged school communities.

Under the House Appropriations Committee’s plan, the U.S. Department of Education would face a 15% cut, reducing its budget to about $67 billion. Within that, Title I funding — the largest federal program supporting schools that serve children from low-income families — would be cut by about 26–27%. This threatens critical services such as reading and math intervention, tutoring, and other supports for students.

The House plan also eliminates Title II funding (which supports professional development for educators) and Title III funding (which provides dedicated support for English learners).

The White House has proposed a different approach: consolidating 18 existing K–12 funding streams into a single $2 billion block grant. While this is not a direct cut to Title I, it would significantly reduce dedicated funding for programs such as rural schools, civics education, and support for students experiencing homelessness.

Together, these proposals would reshape how federal education dollars reach communities — and leave schools serving high-need students with far fewer resources.