Three Connecticut school districts are reeling after unexpectedly losing millions of dollars in federal funding for a program supporting “community schools,” after the Trump administration said its work conflicted with federal priorities. Officials, educators and service providers from two o f the districts — New Haven and Waterbury — joined U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, at Fair Haven School Monday to call attention to the cuts and voice sharp criticism of the Trump Administration and Education Secretary Linda McMahon. The third district to lose funds, Hartford, was mentioned in remarks but did not have a speaker present. The canceled grants were awarded under the Full-Service Community Schools program, which funds partnerships between schools and community organizations to expand resources to families. This can include providing literacy support, mental healthcare, after-school activities, food access and other wraparound services. DeLauro led a successful push to increase FSCS funding 10-fold to $150 million when she was chair of the House Appropriations Committee during the Biden administration. Each of the three Connecticut districts had won grants and were already running FSCS programming when they learned the Department of Education would be halting further payments. According to DeLauro’s office, New Haven and Waterbury each had $1.5 million remaining in their grants, while Hartford had $1.3 million remaining. Nationally, a total of 19 FSCS programs saw their funding terminated on Dec. 12, with just one winning it back in an appeal to the department. The grants were expected to run through 2028. Clifford Beers Community Care Center coordinated New Haven’s FSCS program. Its executive director, Ilaria Filippi, said the program directly served 310 children and 41 families at Fair Haven School and the Family Academy of Multilingual Exploration over 18 months — an effort she said brought together more than 20 organizations. According to state data, over 75% of New Haven Public Schools students qualify for free or reduced lunch — a common metric for assessing student need — compared to roughly 45% statewide. In a letter to the New Haven program last month, Education Assistant Secretary Kirsten Baesler wrote that the applicant had “proposed project activities that conflict with the Department’s policy of prioritizing merit, fairness, and excellence in education. Specifically, ‘To advance racial equity and in reflection of the clients served, they will approach this project from the perspective of systemic racism and consistently ask themselves if they are missing data from hard-to-reach families or those at the highest tier of trauma.’”  The letter also highlighted a passage on professional development that referenced “trauma-informed care, anti-racist practices, equity practices, community organizing, project management, systems thinking, and self-care.” Filippi was critical of the administration’s reasoning. “This program did not end because it failed. It did not end because outcomes were poor. It did not end because it was ineffective,” Filippi said. “At no point did the department claim that the program wasn’t working. Because it was working.” Filippi confirmed that the majority of the services offered through the New Haven program have ended. “With seven working days’ notice, just before winter break, we were forced to dismantle a fully operational program mid-year. The disruption fractured relationships, interrupted care and removed critical support from students, families and educators,” Filippi said. Rep. DeLauro described the grant cancellations as “a deliberate attempt to sabotage the education of our children.” “There is not a doubt that this will raise the cost of living for families, many of whom are already living paycheck to paycheck,” DeLauro said. The U.S. Department of Education did not respond to a request for comment. New Haven Public Schools superintendent Madeline Negrón said the district is looking into whether it can redirect recently-awarded state funds for after-school programs to continuing the FSCS after-school program. Althea Brooks, executive director of the Waterbury BTS Community Partnership, said services for students and families in Waterbury will continue for now thanks to other funding sources. “We are also pursuing opportunities at the state level with the governor’s fund that he, with wisdom, put aside for these attacks,” Brooks said. She added that Waterbury’s board of education has also allocated money to the program. Hartford Public Schools did not respond to a request for comment on how the loss of funding will affect its programming. New Haven Federation of Teachers president Leslie Blatteau criticized “billionaire” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon for treating public schools “as if they belong to her.” “The data shows that for every dollar spent on community schools, there is a $7 return on investment,” Blatteau said. “At a time when students and working families need more support — at a time when we want to continue to make improvements to student achievement, student attendance and mental health — we learned that the programs designed to provide that support are illegally terminated at the eleventh hour.” Blatteau also called on Gov. Ned Lamont to release $4 million dollars from the state’s surplus to make up the lost federal funding.  Rob Blanchard, spokesperson for Gov. Ned Lamont, said the state is “reviewing whether or not the cut to this federal education program meets the statutory guidelines for tapping into the recently created Emergency State Response Reserve.” The American Federation of Teachers, a union representing public school teachers across the country, has sued the Trump administration to challenge the cancellations. The attorneys general of Maryland, North Carolina and the District of Columbia have also filed a separate suit.  A spokesperson for the Connecticut Attorney General expressed hope that any relief from those lawsuits would also be provided to grantees in Connecticut but declined to comment on this state’s legal strategy. ...read more read less