The Springfield Public Schools stand to lose more than $47 million in federal education grants in a move announced by the Trump Administration late last week.
According to a press release from Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey’s office Tuesday morning, districts across the state will see $106 million pulled. The funding was to come from the federal Education Stabilization Fund. The governor said states had been told districts had until March 2026 to use the money. Extensions had been granted due to supply chain and other issues.
Springfield was the hardest hit district in Massachusetts.
LaTonia Monroe-Naylor, vice-chair of the city’s school committee, said she knew there would be some cuts coming but called the news “very disappointing.”
“Very concerned about how is it that we can continue to focus on inequities and the gaps and the severe needs of our children in order to make sure they are educated and provide them with the proper support if we continue to lose funding," she said.
Monroe-Naylor said finance officials were working to give a clearer picture of just what programs or initiatives might be impacted. She said the school board’s budget subcommittee is due to meet next week to discuss the cuts, their impacts, and how to handle the situation.
She added she was hopeful the affected states might take legal action to stop the move.
State Attorney General Andrea Campbell has joined a number of suits seeking to reverse many actions by the Trump Administration over the last few months.
The cuts come at a time when Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno had been signaling a lean budget could be in order for fiscal year 2026. He has begun the process of drafting the city budget, which would take effect July 1. He anticipated a budget of more than $900 million, of that, about two-thirds would go to fund the schools.
In a joint statement released Tuesday afternoon Sarno and Springfield Public Schools Superintendent Sonia Dinnall said they are beyond disappointed by the cuts.
"The decision to cut off money already promised to our school district to benefit our students is wrong," Sarno said. "Superintendent Dinnall and I will work with Governor Maura Healey and her administration, and Attorney General Andrea Campbell to explore all of our options as we continue to fight for the residents and students of our Springfield."
Sarno said the money cut comes from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) and said the city has used the funds to improve school air quality through HVAC installations and for outdoor learning spaces.
"We want to assure our community that we strategically and intentionally utilized ESSER funds for one-time capital improvement projects that have already been completed or are very close to completion," added Dinnall.
She said the funding cuts will not affect teachers.
"From the start, we were keenly aware that this funding was temporary, and we made deliberate choices to avoid using it for ongoing expenses that would require sustained financial support," she said. " As a result, this reduction will not impact the delivery of education services to our students or employment status for staff."
Many elected officials at the state level and those in education decried the move by the federal government.
“This action is jeopardizing mental health care and math tutoring for our students, as well as projects that are already underway to enhance school security and ensure that the air in our school buildings is clean,” Healey said in reaction to the cuts. “Massachusetts has been making important progress helping students recover from the pandemic, but President Trump is trying to take us backwards,”
Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler said some programs that were to be covered under the funding in question were already underway.
“The Trump Administration’s outrageous and cruel decision, in which we received notice of a new arbitrary deadline, will have real harm to our students and their learning and wellbeing,” he said.
Other school districts in western Massachusetts were also impacted, although not to the degree of Springfield. Holyoke is set to lose more than $395,000, West Springfield over $354,000 and Ludlow more than $83,000.
Also, two non-public parochial schools were impacted. Both Mater Dolorosa School in Holyoke and St. Stanislaus in Chicopee each had more than $100,000 cut.
