Ramirez Chairs Oversight Hearing on Effects of Trump on Local Students, Educators & Schools

Bensenville, IL – This week, Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03) convened a congressional oversight hearing in Bensenville, Illinois on the negative effects of the Trump Administration's agenda on local students and educators. Joined by Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-02), Ramirez heard from experts about how funding cuts, the decision to dismantle the Department of Education, and the policies to end diversity, inclusion, and equality programs endanger the resources needed to support public education in IL-03.  

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“As a product of public education, I believe in the transformative, liberatory power of accessible, culturally competent, community-supported education,” said Congresswoman Ramirez, who chaired the hearing. “Trump, his billionaire friends, and his loyalists have declared war on public education, civil rights, diversity, equity, and inclusion. And I for one – will not back down as they try to strip our communities, my communities, of our civil liberties and rob us of the resources that we need to sustainably transform our school communities.”

“On March 20th, President Trump signed an unconstitutional executive order to dismantle the Department of Education. However, that cannot be done without Congressional approval. Almost 60% of the public opposes the elimination of the Department of Education. Most Americans believe that every student deserves opportunities, resources, and support, and it all starts in the classroom,” said Congresswoman Robin Kelly, who reminded the audience that she comes from three generations of teachers. 

The hearing titled “Education is Liberation” counted with the expert testimony of:

• Stephanie Chavez, Educator, IEA Member, and rising leader.
• Sherneron Hilliard, Senior Vice President of Programs and Impact, Family Focus.
• Juliet de Jesús Alejandre, Executive Director of Palenque LSNA.
• Dave Goldberg, Political Science Professor and Union Rep, College of DuPage.
• Claire Colt, Social Worker at Brentano Elementary.
• Tara Stamps, Cook County Commissioner and Director of New Teacher Development, Chicago Teachers Union.

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“Due to the Trump administration’s dramatic federal education cuts, I am worried that the students who occupy those same classrooms that I once did will not be able to envision their education in the ways that I did,” shared Stephanie Chavez, educator and student. “Many students will have to worry about losing access to meals that only their school provided them. In Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District alone, we receive $24 million in federal funding to ensure that no child is worrying about breakfast more than they are worrying about which library book they will check out that day. Our students with disabilities in IL-03 receive nearly $15 million dollars to ensure that they have access to the education and resources that best fit their diverse needs. These cuts will limit access to an equitable education for all students – but especially our most vulnerable students. Our local schools receive nearly a million federal dollars to best support our linguistically gifted multilingual learners who are building their English Language proficiency while honoring their native language.”

“Efforts to reduce or eliminate Head Start will affect families who lose childcare, putting their child at risk of lagging behind in kindergarten and putting parents at risk of leaving the workforce,” said Sherneron Hilliard, Family Focus Senior Vice President of Programs and Impact. “In a Family Focus partnership with City Colleges of Chicago, over 50% of students are also parenting children at home. Losing Head Start will definitely impact parents’ ability to go to school or work. For Family Focus, losing Head Start will mean closing centers. Our programs in early childhood are 64% of our budget, and are funded 26% by federal funds and 74% by state funds. Seventy-eight employees are funded with Head Start and will lose their jobs.” 

“On April 25th, the Trump Administration abruptly ended our 3 year grant from the National Science Foundation for the Somos Ingenieros/We are Engineers Program. Barely in our first three months, the program aimed to excite the imaginations of Latine children between the ages of 5-8 to build and create, while connecting their families to the Chicago Children’s Museum and Loyola University. The problem they stated is our focus on Latine children,” said Juliet de Jesús Alejandre, Executive Director of Palenque LSNA. 

“According to the most recent data, between 25% and 31% of College of DuPage students rely on Pell Grants to fund their education. As of this writing, that funding holds, but we don’t know for how long. We have seen cuts to programs across the college that will profoundly impact students and the communities we serve. COD was notified that a $199,000 National Science Foundation grant to promote underrepresented minorities in STEM fields has been eliminated. This potentially abolishes funding opportunities for more people to further their education, career opportunities, and lessens outcome gaps across our communities,” testified Professor Dave Goldberg, who closed by sharing the effects that the criminalization of free speech is having on student research and innovation. 

“Many kids I work with are feeling unsafe. We have students who didn’t come to school for days because they were so afraid of immigration raids. This caused them to miss out on learning. They also spend time worrying, instead of focusing on instruction. Many of our queer and trans students are feeling unsafe. The attacks repeated by politicians and others on trans identity have made them question what will happen to them in the future,” expressed Claire Colt, Social Worker at Brentano Elementary. “They face a profound sense of societal rejection and insecurity. This has disrupted their learning and led to great mental distress.” 

“Decades of research have been clear that Black students who have just one Black teacher, for instance, perform better for the rest of their school careers. Pipelines for educators of color and induction and mentoring programs for new teachers, like the We Care program I lead, are vital to retaining skilled educators. But the department of education cuts, including the slashing of federal student aid, foreclose teaching as a profession for many young people,” testified Tara Stamps, Cook County Commissioner and Director of New Teacher Development at CTU.

Some of the facts uncovered during the hearing were: 

• More than 60,000 children with disabilities could lose access to their education given the end of DEI initiatives;
• There has been a decline in the performance of students given the mass deportation agenda and ICE's presence in communities;
• And the cuts to food supplemental assistance could mean students would lose access to their only meals.

For the witness testimonies, click here.

For Ramirez’s remarks as prepared for delivery, click here. 

For photos and videos of the event, click here. 

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