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Attacks on public education have expanded from school board meetings and protests all the way to Capitol Hill. The House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill for the 2024 fiscal year would enshrine extremist perspectives by slashing funding for public schools. The bill would cut funding for the Department of Education by 29%. Additionally, the appropriations bill includes a roughly 80% cut in Title I, the program that ensures schools with high proportions of low-income students receive the resources they need. Experts project these cuts could result in a nationwide reduction of 220,000 teachers in classrooms serving low-income students. The House FY24 Labor-HHS-Ed appropriations bill would also cut funding for Title II-A (Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants), which increases academic achievement among low-income students by improving teacher and principal quality. Crucial programs, such as English language acquisition support, school mental health services, and the Office of Civil Rights would all take a hit, exacerbating long-standing educational inequities.
While these changes are unlikely to pass, the open hostility toward public education is concerning. Connecticut Representative Rosa DeLauro called it “a widespread attack on public education that should horrify all of us.” The ‘parental rights’ movement, exemplified by groups including Moms for Liberty, has fueled these attacks.
However, there is a glimmer of hope: Voters turned out in massive numbers to fight against Moms for Liberty in school board elections last week. In the battleground state of Pennsylvania, Moms for Liberty recommended five candidates in the Central Bucks school district, all of whom lost. In Minnesota, the four candidates put forward by Moms for Liberty in the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District failed to obtain even double-digit support. In Iowa, only one of the 13 candidates the group endorsed won. Just five of the 25 candidates the group backed in Ohio were elected. And this pattern repeated in nearly every state where Moms for Liberty endorsed candidates. Having a Moms for Liberty endorsement appears to have become a liability for school board candidates.
Community Members Fight Back (and win!)
California: Late last year, the Temecula School District voted to ban Critical Race Theory. Extremist groups like Moms for Liberty have overtaken their school board to attack curriculum, ban books, and harass educators. However, opponents are not backing down. Parents, particularly Black mothers, created the campaign “Recall All 3,” to oust the three school board members who voted for the ban.
Florida: Retired teacher Liz Mikitarian worked to facilitate a dialogue with the Moms for Liberty in her community, without success. So Mikitarian created STOP Moms for “Liberty,” a movement aimed at ending the “fear-mongering, dark money-connected ‘non-profit.’” STOP Moms for “Liberty” has expanded to 46 states and supports school board recall and pro-public-school campaigns.
Events & Resources for Action
The Committee for Education Funding provides the public with information about the importance of federal investment in education. The group has an advocacy toolkit with resources and sample letters for calling and emailing your member of Congress.
STOP Moms for “Liberty” is a movement dedicated to advocating for an inclusive education experience for all students. They have a resource page with petitions, Facebook groups, and informative flyers.