On May 30, 2025, President Donald Trump released his full federal budget request for next fiscal year (2026). The president’s budget request proposes to decrease funding for the U.S. Department of Education by $12 billion, or 15%, and includes changes to federal policies and appropriations for K-12 public education that will impact students in every level of education across the country.
President Trump’s full budget request provides greater detail on the proposed consolidation and reduction of funding through the K-12 Simplified Funding Program (K-12 SFP), the consolidation of special education programs into the IDEA Grants to States program, and the consolidation and reduction of education research investments. This briefing provides deeper insight into the key proposed funding consolidations and the potential impacts on Connecticut students and school districts.
The analysis featured in this resource is a companion piece to the overview the School and State Finance Project produced in May 2025 of President Trump's initial budget request, commonly referred to as the "skinny budget," for FY 2026. That overview is also linked to in this resource.
Citations
School and State Finance Project. (2025). Analysis: K-12 Education Funding in President Trump's FY 2026 Budget Request. Southington, CT: Author. Retrieved from https://files.schoolstatefinance.org/hubfs/Reports/Trump%20FY%202026%20Budget%20Request%20Analysis.pdf.
School and State Finance Project. (2025). K-12 Education Funding in President Trump's FY 2026 Initial Budget Request. Southington, CT: Author. Retrieved from https://files.schoolstatefinance.org/hubfs/Reports/K-12%20Education%20Funding%20in%20President%20Trump's%20FY%202026%20Initial%20Budget%20Request.pdf.