Trump's assault on public education arrives in New Jersey Opinion

Note: Nellioe Pou is NJ's representative for the 9th Congressional district.

Nellie PouSpecial to the USA TODAY Network
Jan. 9, 2026, 4:06 a.m. ET

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Just a few weeks ago, the U.S. Department of Education abruptly eliminated nearly $8 million in federal funding from eight New Jersey public schools — six in Paterson and two in Passaic. These cuts came with little warning, and their impact will be devastating to schools in Passaic County.

When the decision was made, Paterson Public Schools were given just one week before Christmas to file an appeal — which the district quickly did. But just three days before the New Year, my office was notified that the district’s appeal was denied and the cuts would go into effect at the start of 2026.

These grants, administered under the Full Service Community Schools program, are vitally important to our schools. For years, they have helped provide basic services including health care, mental health counseling, nutritious food, after-school tutoring, academic support and other programs that keep kids safe and engaged. For example, at Public School 10, students who participated in FSCS after school and/or mentoring programming, compared with non-participating peers, were 9% less chronically absent, experienced fewer absent days and achieved 32% higher scores in math and 31% higher scores in literacy.

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Make no mistake — these school districts were willing to work with the Trump administration to find a fair path forward to keep this funding. And during my conversations with the Education Department, I repeatedly emphasized this in the case of the Paterson school district. I asked McMahon to meet and work with me, making myself available day and night, to educate her about the harm our students will face with the loss of these funds. Yet despite my coming to the Trump administration in the spirit of bipartisanship and for the sake of our children, McMahon has denied our pleas and has refused to demonstrate the same willingness to come to the table.

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