Rhode Island — A coalition of school districts, parents, teachers’ unions, and nonprofit organizations represented by Democracy Forward, Jacobson Lawyers Group, and Deluca, Weizenbaum, Barry, and Revins filed a lawsuit today against the Trump-Vance administration for unlawfully withholding nearly $6 billion in education funding that Congress directed to support students for the 2025–2026 school year. A motion for immediate relief via a preliminary injunction will follow this week. Plaintiffs’ and co-counsel’s statements are below.

PLAINTIFFS

American Federation of Teachers Pennsylvania

“The Trump Administration has no legitimate reason to withhold these funds, other than to try to sow chaos and deprive certain schools and students of the resources they are entitled to,” said Wendy G. Coleman, president of AFT Pennsylvania. “Congress appropriated more than $260 million for Pennsylvania, and we are prepared to fight until every last dollar is released.”

Anchorage School District

“Withholding these federal funds has created deep instability for our schools. The success of our students depends on professional learning support that drives early literacy, strengthens mental health services, and improves graduation rates. Additionally, these funds provide targeted support for English learners and for families whose livelihoods depend on agricultural work, logging, or fishing. Districts like ours cannot plan responsibly or meet our obligations when longstanding federal commitments are withheld without warning. We are taking legal action to protect our students, honor the promises made to our communities, and restore the stability every school system needs to open strong and serve well,” said Dr. Jharrett Bryantt, Superintendent, Anchorage School District

California Federation of Teachers

“Educators in California are proud to stand with our colleagues across the nation in defending our public education system and democracy from political attacks that only serve to hurt our next generation of leaders. While Secretary McMahon and Trump’s other billionaire cronies are focused on padding their own pockets, children across the country will lose access to the quality public education that has prepared generations of students to be our nation’s future leaders. These illegal funding cuts will harm our students, their educators, our communities, and will leave our nation’s future success in jeopardy. The educators and classified professionals who are the backbone of our public education system will continue to fight to ensure that every child in this country has access to a quality public education,” said Jeffery Freitas, President of CFT, A Union of Educators and Classified Professionals.

Cincinnati Public Schools

“Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS)  is moving forward to take the necessary steps to challenge the withholding of Title grant funds,” said Dr. Alesia Smith, Deputy Superintendent. “This decision by the Federal government puts us all in a very difficult position. We are hoping that everyone understands the severity of the decisions. It saddens us that we are having to go to these lengths but CPS will continue to advocate and litigate to ensure that Cincinnati’s students and families are receiving all the services they are entitled to receive under state and federal law.” 

Fairbanks North Star Borough School District

“The lawless and last-minute withholding of federal education funds is not just a bureaucratic failure—it is a direct attack on our most vulnerable students. Less than a month before school starts, we’ve been forced to plan for cuts instead of preparing to serve children. Programs that provide after-school academic support, migrant tutoring, critical mental health services, and professional development opportunities for our educators now face elimination—not because of inefficiency or waste, but because the U.S. Department of Education abruptly broke with years of predictable funding practice. Without these Title program funds, nearly 200 education jobs are in jeopardy, our classrooms will be less supported, and students will be left behind. This isn’t just fiscal irresponsibility—it’s a moral failure that jeopardizes the future of the very students federal law is meant to protect,” said Luke Meinert, Superintendent of the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District

Florida Parent Teacher Association 

 “Florida has made meaningful academic progress, including a nearly 10% increase in schools earning an ‘A’ or ‘B’ and a 40% decrease in those rated ‘D’ or ‘F’ across all grade levels,” said Maxine Ann-Marie Lewers and Jude Bruno, President and President-elect of Florida PTA. “Now, with the sudden withholding of $396 million dollars of critical federal funds approved by Congress by the U.S. Department of Education, districts are being forced to make last-minute decisions that threaten student support, staffing, and stability. These are not abstract concerns. The impact will be felt immediately in classrooms, particularly in schools that serve the highest-need communities. With school underway and no alternative path for timely relief, legal action has become the only remaining option to protect our students. Our focus is not political, it is practical.”

Illinois Federation of Teachers

“The Trump administration’s callous move to withhold over $200 million in federal education funding in Illinois has already caused deep cuts to afterschool programs, special education under IDEA, and academic support across K-12 and higher education,” said Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery. “These cuts hit Black, Brown, immigrant, rural, and low-income students the hardest, denying them the education they deserve. They also threaten loan forgiveness programs, leaving educators with debt they cannot manage on modest salaries and adding pressure to an already underpaid workforce.”

Kuspuk School District

“Withholding these federal education funds is not governance, it is sabotage. In rural Alaska, they are not line items, they are lifelines. These programs are the foundation of equity in a place where everything requires more planning, more logistics, and more trust to deliver.  They make it possible to meet the needs of our most mobile and underserved students, recruit and retain qualified teachers, offer safe and enriching spaces after school and through the summer, and provide direct services to those facing the greatest barriers. In communities like ours, this includes students navigating barriers tied to geographic isolation, mobility, and limited access to basic services, all of whom rely on coordinated Title-funded support to access even a basic education. These are not extras. These are the programs that give our students a chance. When funding is blocked, it does not just stall services. It dismantles the systems we have built to reach those most in need. When the federal government walks away from its obligation, it is not a delay. It is denial. Denial of access. Denial of progress. Denial of the futures our students have a right to pursue,” said Madeline Aguillard, Superintendent of Kuspuk School District.

New York State United Teachers

“This isn’t a delay — it’s a broken promise. From New York’s urban centers to its most remote rural towns, our schools were counting on this funding to serve students who need it most. Districts have already built careful plans to stretch every dollar for maximum impact. To rip billions away now is not just unlawful, it’s reckless. This means canceled programs, crowded classes, fewer staff working directly with students, and fewer opportunities for kids to succeed. We’re taking this fight to court because when promises are broken and laws are ignored, the courts become the necessary path to justice — for our schools and for our students,” said NYSUT President Melinda Person

Ohio Federation of Teachers

“Teachers and other educators in Ohio spend every minute of their workday trying to support their students and help them overcome obstacles. By lawlessly withholding nearly $7 billion – including more than $180 million for Ohio students – the Trump administration is showing that they are just as committed to putting new obstacles in front of those students,” said Melissa Cropper, President of the Ohio Federation of Teachers. “We’re demanding that the Trump administration stop sabotaging our students’ futures and follow the law by releasing all education funding that has been appropriated by Congress.”

Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals

“The illegal and unconstitutional impoundment of approximately $27 million dollars from Rhode Island school districts — with Providence bearing the greatest burden — is an outrageous affront to our students’ right to a quality public education. This action disproportionately harms our most vulnerable children, stripping away critical resources they rely on to learn, grow, and succeed. We will not stand idly while our students are used as pawns in a political chess game as these actions impact on our students’ opportunities and ability to thrive without an adequate, fully funded education. This lawsuit is about restoring justice, equity, and the promise of public education for every child in Rhode Island,” said Maribeth Calabro, President RIFTHP

Texas American Federation of Teachers

“Our public schools do not have the luxury of being able to ‘wait and see’ if the funding they need comes through. Jobs rely on this funding, and families rely on it for vital services.  Texas has lost more education funding than other Republican-led state in this funding freeze. More than $660 million in federal funding intended for Texas schools has just disappeared, without warning. That is money our districts budgeted for when they made decisions about staffing and student services. That is money that parents expect to be in their kids’ classrooms this fall.  We are tired of our public schools, educators, and students being used as political punching bags. If those in charge won’t meet us at the table, then our only option is to see them in court,”  said Zeph Capo, President of the Texas American Federation of Teachers

CO-COUNSEL

Democracy Forward

“The Trump-Vance administration’s ongoing assault on public education in our country is harming students, educators, and communities. This is not making anyone’s lives easier,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “The Department of Education is holding hostage billions of dollars from American communities. This is an unconstitutional and unlawful power grab that puts extreme agendas over the well-being of students and denies communities the educational resources that Congress intended them to have.”

Jacobson Lawyers Group

“The Department of Education’s illegal, last-minute withholding of billions of dollars of funds within weeks of the start of the new school year will deprive students across the country of essential education, health, and safety support,” said Lynn Eisenberg, Partner at Jacobson Lawyers Group. “We are proud to stand with those school districts, unions, and organizations demanding that their students receive the support they were promised.”