President Donald Trump’s fiscal year 2027 (FY 2027) budget request, released April 3, 2026, includes $8.5 billion in eliminations and consolidations for selected K-12 programs. It would also legislate the transfer of some responsibilities out of the U.S. Department of Education (USDE).
“The Budget puts the Department of Education (USDE), which has failed the Nation’s children, teachers, and families, on a path to elimination,” the budget proposal said.
As reported by K-12 Dive, the proposed budget requests $76.5 billion for the USDE for FY 2027, compared to an FY 2026 funding level of $79 billion. It would maintain Title I at $18.4 billion and increase special education funding by $539 million, but — similar to the president’s FY 2026 request — it calls for the elimination of some existing grants while consolidating others into single funding streams for states to distribute at their own discretion. It would also eliminate funding for English Language Acquisition.
For example, it proposes consolidating 17 K-12 grant funding streams worth $6.5 billion into a single grant, which the administration said would allow states to spend “based on their needs without Federal prescription.”
It would cut 12 other programs, totaling $2.1 billion, including:
-All $70 million for Teacher Quality Partnership grants, often used to diversify the teacher workforce.
-All $7 million for Equity Assistance Centers, established as part of desegregation efforts.
-All $890 million for English Language Acquisition, which helped districts support English language learners and which the budget said would “encourage bilingualism.”
-All $50 million for the Comprehensive Centers program, which is authorized under ESEA and provides assistance to states and districts on improving instruction and closing achievement gaps.
-A $428 million cut to Migrant Education and Special Programs for Migrant Students, which supports immigrant students.
Many of the proposed cuts and consolidations are similar to those contained in the president’s budget request for FY 2026, much of which Congress ultimately scrapped.
The proposal would also solidify into legislation the USDE’s efforts to shift career and technical education (CTE) programs and responsibilities to the U.S. Department of Labor. (DOL). While the USDE has already entered an interagency agreement that would do so, the budget request would officially move those programs under the DOL.
For more details from K-12 Dive, click here.