#1 No matter what I say or write, the school community—and the broader community—must begin the journey back to each other. We have great collaboratives, but we’ve lost much of what we used to call “community,” where schools and neighborhoods pulled together during difficult times.

If the federal government reduces its role in education—particularly through cuts to critical programs like the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Title I, or mental health grants—students with learning, behavioral, and emotional challenges will be disproportionately affected. These students depend on federally supported services to succeed in school. When resources shrink, the risks grow: academic progress can stall, behavioral issues may escalate, and school environments can become more reactive than supportive.

As we all know, IDEA funding—already underfunded—provides essential services such as special education teachers, paraprofessionals, and specialists like school psychologists and speech-language pathologists. If those federal dollars are reduced or eliminated, school districts may face impossible decisions—delaying services, increasing caseloads, or removing positions altogether. In these scenarios, students who need the most support are often left with the least.

However, school districts are not without options. While they can’t always prevent federal cuts, they can take proactive steps to minimize harm and maintain a commitment to equity. Districts should begin planning now, before any cuts are implemented. One step is to strategically use local funds or reallocate existing resources to prioritize core special education services. This might involve protecting critical positions—such as special education teachers, case managers, and school psychologists—while temporarily scaling back elsewhere. It’s not easy, but school districts managed similar rebalancing during the Great Recession of 2007–2008.

Districts can also expand their efforts to apply for state or local grants and seek partnerships with foundations and community organizations to sustain essential services. For example, some Georgia districts are working with local mental health agencies to embed counselors in schools, using a blend of state and SAMHSA funding (which may not be subject to federal cuts). But that type of planning needs to be done as soon as possible.

Another important strategy is to invest in training general education teachers in inclusive practices and multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS). When general education staff are equipped to support diverse learners, the pressure on special education services is reduced—especially valuable when resources are tight. Differentiated instruction, trauma-informed teaching, and co-teaching models can bridge service gaps. In addition, implementing frameworks like Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) can help schools proactively meet student needs before they require more intensive (and expensive) interventions. It’s well documented that a positive school climate creates a strong sense of community—where people look for solutions and work together. This sense of community is how schools overcome setbacks.

While PBIS is research-based and widely implemented, it’s not the only path to improving school climate. Regardless of the framework chosen, schools need to focus now—before cuts come—on improving school climate in measurable, sustainable ways.

I’ve grown cautious about the phrase “data-driven,” as it’s taken on so many meanings that it risks becoming meaningless. Still, especially during financial uncertainty, districts should cultivate strong data systems to track student outcomes, identify service gaps, and guide resource decisions. More importantly, they should use data to highlight what is working. Don’t wait until funding is cut to showcase successful strategies. When school boards and communities can see clear evidence of the impact of special education and behavioral supports, they’re be more likely to advocate for sustaining them—and more willing to shift or find funding to hold the line until better days arrive.

We must not forget advocacy. When educators and community members speak with a unified voice, it sends a powerful message: investing in vulnerable students is not optional—it’s foundational to any vision of educational excellence. A district can say, "...and we have the data to prove it—our students are making progress."

In the face of federal disinvestment, districts must become both protective and innovative. But that innovation requires foresight and planning now. Protect the students who need support the most. Don’t take for granted the methods by which services are delivered—study them, identify what works, and protect those strategies as top priorities if cuts are expected.

If we stay focused on equity, resilience, and student well-being—and begin the difficult conversations now about what may come—we can prepare. And while doing so, we must identify and celebrate what is working - that cannot be emphasized enough. Sometimes we see something is effective but aren’t sure exactly why it’s working. Find it, study it, and create a plan to sustain it and protect it. Now is the time.

#2 This is the question that should be dominating the news, our print media, and our professional education-related conferences. But it is not. And that, in many ways, exacerbates the problem.

Children in school respond to the world around them. They bring tensions, uncertainty and fears into school along with their backpacks and bookbags. But these don't just get stored in their cubbies. Our kids walk around with all of this every day. And guess what? Their teachers are no different. Yes, they are professionals and they should be able to leave their worries and concerns in the car along with their sunglasses. But it's hard to do, especially for teachers who are parents. They see their students and can't help thinking about their own children. And they feel anxious.

So, the uncertainties of what is happening in education, combined with the uncertainties and the definite negatives related to employment , immigration status, and the economy, lead to less focus, less retention, and less stamina over the course of the learning day. This accelerates over the course of the learning week. And when home life is similarly disaffected, the lack of respite leads to greater and greater negative spirals of distraction and discontent.

Under these circumstances, having safe, supportive, kind, and caring schools is more important than ever. And students' having the SEL skills to recognize and manage their emotions, interact effectively in group contexts and be good, honest, ethical problem-solvers is more important than ever. The latter takes more time to achieve than the former. Honestly, for that reason, I worked with National Professional Resources to quickly create a publication to help teachers address the all-important culture and climate in their classrooms, as well as schools more generally. This is the resource:
https://nprinc.com/building-a-positive-classroom-climate-to-engage-students

Bottom line: the cuts must be understood in Bronferbrenner's ecological model. With the kids in the middle of the ecological circle, the cuts and changes impact every ecological level and it all impinges on the students.

I hope this makes some sense! Please let me know if I can add or clarify!

Keep asking these critical questions. Onward!!-

#3 Yes aren’t we all worried about that. It is not as if the support was sufficient to begin with but the problem with these cuts is there is no coherence, no way to plan going forward. In the past, we had no child left behind with its draconian dictates and race to the top which had its share of winners and way more losers. But now we just have chaos.

So how to respond? Well, first it is worth considering how resilient many principals are with limited resources. So I suspect we will see that here, some schools and communities coming together led by a principal with a vision. Second, I have spent my career working in the most struggling schools in Philadelphia and Chicago and what I learned is that you work with the resources you have and not wait for the ones you want. I think we are going to see this as well. It is a premise of global health and a key aspect of a public health model to task shift from professionals to community members and triage scant professional services where most needed.

I suppose there is a silver lining if schools are more integrated into their communities. But I don’t mean to sugarcoat this as these cuts are cruel and impactful and the least well-off communities will suffer the most.

Attaching a couple of articles where we describe the public health approach in some detail.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26168200/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28375726/

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