Mark Lieberman

Freelance Writer at Freelance

Reporting on K-12 school $$ for @educationweek. Proud member of @EdWeekUnion. Bylines in @washingtonpost, @DCist, @VanityFair, @vulture, and more. he/him/his

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Articles

Billions for Schools Are in Limbo as Trump Admin. Denies State Funding Requests

3 days ago | edweek.org | Mark Lieberman

More than a month after the U.S. Department of Education abruptly told states and districts they had to unexpectedly stop spending several billion dollars of remaining federal pandemic relief funds, chaos and confusion continue to reign supreme.
Judge Reverses Ed. Dept.'s Abrupt End to States' Time to Spend COVID Relief

1 week ago | edweek.org | Mark Lieberman |Brooke Schultz

A federal judge on Tuesday halted the Trump administration’s decision to effectively cancel more than $1 billion in K-12 education funding for more than a dozen states—but left the door open for the U.S. Department of Education to again terminate the funding after giving states advance notice.
The Big Questions About Trump's K-12 Budget Proposal, Answered

1 week ago | edweek.org | Mark Lieberman

President Donald Trump’s first federal budget proposal of his second term last Friday kicked off a flurry of activity in the K-12 education landscape, as district leaders and policy watchers tried to make sense of sweeping cuts outlined in relatively scant detail.
Trump Asks Congress to Slash Billions in Education Funding-and 'Preserve' Title I

1 week ago | edweek.org | Mark Lieberman

President Donald Trump on Friday unveiled a budget plan that would slash billions of dollars in federal funding for K-12 education and dramatically rework how the federal government distributes education grants to schools. The “skinny” budget proposal—which the administration will flesh out in the coming weeks—falls well short of Trump’s stated goal to eliminate the Department of Education and shift some of its core functions to other agencies.
Trump's Spending Plans Are Late-Raising Worries About K-12 Funds

2 weeks ago | edweek.org | Mark Lieberman

The Trump administration and lawmakers in Congress are gearing up for fierce debates over education funding in the coming months—and with only two months to go before schools typically get the bulk of their annual federal allocation, it’s still not clear which priorities will win out.
Trump Wants to Gut Head Start. He's Already Begun

2 weeks ago | edweek.org | Mark Lieberman

Early childhood educators with the federal Head Start program nationwide are experiencing a fresh round of funding delays and administrative headaches, with some providers left with no option but to temporarily close their doors and lay off staff. These challenges are already causing widespread alarm and distress among providers and the families they serve. But they may pale in comparison to what’s next.
Judge Casts Doubt on Trump’s Authority to Gut Education Dept. Staff

2 weeks ago | edweek.org | Mark Lieberman

A federal judge on Friday cast doubt on the Trump administration’s claim that its decision to terminate hundreds of Education Department employees in recent months was separate from its broader goal of shutting down the agency—a key distinction as the judge considers whether the staff cuts overstepped the president’s authority. Judge Myong J.
Trump’s Push to Slash Federal K-12 School Funds, Explained

3 weeks ago | edweek.org | Mark Lieberman

The first three months of the second Trump administration have brought a dizzying cascade of threats to federal investment in K-12 schools, and even bigger existential battles loom in the near future.
Another Judge Rules Against Private School Choice. Here's Why

3 weeks ago | edweek.org | Mark Lieberman

For the second time this school year, a court has deemed a state’s private school choice program unconstitutional and forced it to halt. The Utah Fits All program, an education savings account offering that 10,000 K-12 students currently use, violates the state constitutional requirement to spend state tax revenue on public education options all students can attend, Judge Laura Scott of the Third District Court of Utah ruled on April 18.
Schools Are Already Seeing Higher Prices Due to Trump's Tariffs

1 month ago | edweek.org | Mark Lieberman |Caitlynn Peetz

President Donald Trump’s unprecedented decision to impose tariffs on goods imported from most countries could lead to higher prices for schools on everything from paper and lumber to laptops and tablets. The stock market declines sparked by the tariffs could hurt retirement plan funds that educators rely on. And the levies could trigger an economic recession with devastating fiscal consequences for school districts and the broader public, economists say.