As Republican and Democrat legislators squabble over the federal government shutdown, educators worry that the impacts to funding for schools and colleges could be serious the longer it continues. The Dems also say their political opponents are making the healthcare crisis worse by holding out for billionaires.<\/p>\n
Federal operations declared \u201cnonessential,\u201d including the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), have been suspended and are running on skeleton staffing and contingency plans<\/a>, which state that grants can be accessed but no new grants will be awarded and that the DOE\u2019s Office for Civil Rights will suspend investigating complaints. <\/p>\n There\u2019s a looming impact on federal funding for teachers and financial aid at New York State\u2019s city and state colleges, prompting State University of New York (SUNY) and City University of New York (CUNY) administrators to go into crisis mode.<\/p>\n \u201cCUNY has been preparing for a government shutdown, providing updates and guidance to members of our community, particularly faculty researchers receiving federal funding,\u201d said a CUNY spokesperson in a statement. \u201cAnd while support programs like financial aid continue, CUNY remains in close contact with elected officials and continues to coordinate with its 26 colleges to monitor for impacts and help community members navigate this difficult moment.\u201d<\/p>\n At the staffing level, CUNY has faculty researchers whose work is supported by federal funding and who are furloughed.<\/p>\n In an email<\/a> sent out to students, CUNY Chancellor F\u00e9lix V. Matos Rodr\u00edguez explained that those who received federal financial aid, loans, or Veterans Affairs (VA) education benefits should be safe for now since the latest round of funding was already authorized and disbursed before Oct.1 for this semester. But, they are strongly encouraging students to fill out their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form<\/a> for the upcoming 2026 semester as soon as possible.<\/p>\n Similarly, SUNY leadership is urging high schoolers to fill out their FAFSA now. <\/p>\n \u201cSUNY operations and federal financial aid to our students remain unchanged, and we are proactively reaching out to high school seniors across our state to ensure they fill out the FAFSA form for the 2026-27 academic year,\u201d said a SUNY spokesperson. \u201cWe will continue to monitor the situation and provide regular updates to our campuses about any potential impacts.\u201d<\/p>\n To help students with applications, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)<\/a> and the NYS Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Incentive Program<\/a> are also open for the 2026-27 academic year. Additionally, undocumented high school graduates can qualify for financial aid through the Senator Jos\u00e9 Peralta New York State DREAM Act<\/a> or the Alternate Eligibility Pathway<\/a>. <\/p>\n The last round of federal funds for New York City public schools were also doled out on Oct. 1 so districts are safe for now, said Evan Stone, co-founder and CEO of Educators for Excellence. However, the longer the shutdown goes on, the greater the risk that billions in funding to teachers and early childhood education programs, like Head Start, will be delayed. <\/p>\n Many of the city\u2019s Head Start and daycare to 3K providers are small, community-based educators who are already paid less than teachers. They also tend to be predominantly run and staffed by women of color<\/a> serving low-income neighborhoods. Stone said that many of these providers may miss payments and don\u2019t have \u201csignificant cash reserves\u201d to survive the shutdown past a few weeks and could close permanently.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the federal government has made it exceptionally clear that the school system can\u2019t rely on it to execute its core function consistently and equitably to ensure that dollars, congressionally mandated, get to schools in time to support teachers and students,\u201d said Stone.<\/p>\n Major federal funding for schools is doled out on a quarterly basis, said Stone, the next one begins on Jan. 1, 2026. He truly hoped that the shutdown would end well before then. Stone bristled that the shutdown seems meant to merely sow confusion for families and students, eroding trust in public systems and schools. <\/p>\n \u201cI am really worried about the healthcare cuts on services supporting students. I think the long-term impact of cuts to Medicaid or increases in costs that push families and kids off their healthcare plans could be really devastating,\u201d said Stone, \u201cso I understand what this fight is over and at the same time it\u2019s really important for Congress [to] do its job and pass a bipartisan budget that reopens the government.\u201d <\/p>\n Meanwhile, legislators in Congress on both sides of the aisle have \u2018dug in their heels\u2019<\/a> on political issues, leading to a stalemate for the last week with no end in sight. Democrats are hoping that their crusade for affordable healthcare by extending enhanced Obamacare subsidies<\/a> will win them favor with the voting masses, while GOP leaders claim they will negotiate on the subsidies after the shutdown is ended. As of Oct. 7, the bill vote that would keep the government open through Nov. 21 has failed four times.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is day seven of the Trump shutdown of the federal government, and Democrats in the House and Democrats in the Senate continue to hold the line on behalf of the American people,\u201d said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said at his latest press conference<\/a> on Oct. 7. <\/p>\n \u201cBecause we\u2019re fighting to protect their healthcare in the midst of a crisis that has been inflicted upon them by Republicans from the very beginning of Donald Trump\u2019s presidency,\u201d said Jeffries. \u201cRepublicans have hurt everyday Americans in order to reward their billionaire donors. That\u2019s what the One Big Ugly Bill was all about. Largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Stole food from the mouths of children, seniors, and hungry veterans in order to provide massive tax breaks \u2014 permanent in nature \u2014 for the wealthy, the well-off, and the well-connected.\u201d<\/p>\n In the meantime, bedrock federal programs, like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicare, and Social Security, as well as federal funding to state infrastructure, may suffer disruptions. And, as is anticipated with a government shutdown, millions of federal employees are furloughed<\/a> and forced to work without pay until it ends.<\/p>\n Like this:<\/p>\n Like Loading…<\/p>\n